Remedial Studies in 360 Degree Revolutions (Full Circle)
by vainhopes
Summary: Jeff has graduated, but he realizes he needs to clear the air between himself and Annie before he can really accept being done with Greendale Community College. He hatches a plan to revisit many of the places on campus where he'd previously wronged her, and set things straight, with the ultimate goal of finally coming full circle.
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Jeff/Annie (or is it Jeff/Britta? Mystery time! At least...for part of this chapter)  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 4452  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Description: Jeff has graduated and celebrated, but he still feels like there's something he has to do to have really come full circle.  
Author's Note: I never, ever expected to write fan fic. I expected to do my stupid, emotionless analysis of the show, and be content to read others stories...but one night, I felt this story weaving together in my head, and I had to write it. Fair warning...it's going to be bad. I've never claimed to be the creative type.

I should also note that I make some assumptions...namely, that the steak dinner occurs on the same day as the graduation, because why wouldn't it? It just makes sense to me. I'm sure I'll be dropping edits on this thing as time goes by, because I knocked it out in about an hour and a half. I'm sure there's edges to polish. Also...very little original content this chapter. This is basically a "clip show" with my own interpretations mixed in, to set up for the REAL story.

**Full Circle**

Chapter 1

It had been a day. Not just any day, but a "DAY." Jeff Winger keyed into his apartment, and flopped down on his couch, a feeling of contentment settling over him. He'd had several good days over the past four years, but this was definitely in contention for the top ten.  
He'd finally graduated today. He'd achieved what he set out to do when he first set foot on the campus shaped black hole that was Greendale Community College. He could get back to his "cool" life, with a "cool" job and "cool" cars, and "cool" people.

But, as he'd told Alan two years previously, he'd caught something at Greendale, and he while he wanted all of that, his perceptions had been altered a bit. The cool job wouldn't be a high-paying defense attorney job…but one where he could actually do some good. He'd still make decent money, but in general, the pockets of the worthy didn't tend to be as deep as the scumbags. He still wanted to hang out with cool people, but the cool people didn't include the strippers he'd just managed to win a case for anymore, or the other sharky lawyers he used to rub elbows with. Instead, the "cool people" that came to mind when he gave it some thought were an unlikely family he'd grown to truly love. Troy had mentioned Abed's prediction from their freshman year awhile ago, and Jeff was surprised to realize it had come true. He actually re-realized this on a regular basis, and never failed to be shocked by it. It was this group of misfits who he craved the company of, and whose opinions he cared about. At any given time, any one of them could be a younger or older sibling, or parental figure, or even just a best friend. Their group roles had become dramatically less defined from their first semester, as each of them realized that they could offer more to each of the others than any of them had originally surmised.

And of course…there was her. He had been caught completely off guard by this. When he started this fake study group, it was with the sole intention of getting Britta into bed. He didn't care about Greendale, and he didn't care about his reputation at Greendale. He didn't have any intentions of falling in love, and the very idea of it was ridiculous. He knew, from his parents divorce, as well as seeing how his colleagues and clients comported themselves in their own relationships that "love" was bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. And Jeff Winger didn't fall for bullshit.

But then he'd met her. Again, accidental, as well as the development of the feelings he was currently totally confused by. Britta had kissed him once very early on in the first year, but it was to fool a professor into NOT failing him, right? Sure felt real enough to him. He just didn't understand how these sorts of feelings could have developed over the past four years. Sure, he and Britta had gone onto do much, MUCH more, but it was compartmentalized, right? That's what he did with his feelings for anyone for the study group…so why did he carry these feelings for HER?

She'd sat next to him at the celebratory steak dinner that he'd intended to go to by himself, but at the last minute, he knew would be meaningless if his family wasn't there with him. So, he invited them. And SHE sat next to him. He enjoyed a fantastic steak. Ok, it wasn't Morty's, but still…it probably was even better, given the extra flavor added by the joy of having his family (he was still startled by the fact that, internally, he thought of them as his family. Not his friends, not his study group, but flat out, do-not-pass-Go, this is my final answer, family. The fact that he felt actual, genuine joy was a further surprise. Capping these surprises off was the fact that the joy came from THEM…not something like a new car, or gorgeous new suit, or even a glass of Macallen) with him. And, of course…she was next to him. Their hands had brushed (accidentally, he told himself, even though he'd thrilled internally every time) repeatedly. They'd shared coy glances, which almost prevented him from being able to eat. They'd laughed, and drank (fortunately, everyone'd kept it to a responsible amount. Tonight was about celebrating Jeff and each other, not about drinking for the sake of drinking) and generally, just enjoyed the fact that they were together…plus Chang and Dean Pelton, who, when Jeff allowed himself to be honest with himself…he was grateful for the presence of. He'd grown grudgingly fond of both of them, and they were, at the core, a fundamental part of his "Greendale experience."

But not Leonard. Never Leonard.

Jeff's thoughts drifted back to the graduation, when SHE had beamed at him the whole time. He'd be willing to do quite a bit in order to deserve that look on a more regular basis. He was weighing various options, including whether or not he'd be willing to sink so low as to learn to mime, just to get her to gaze at him with that sort of pride, devotion, and…love?

Did she love him? She'd said she did before, but she played it off as saying it to achieve her own ends.

More importantly, did he lov…he loved her. He actually interrupted himself mid-thought stream to confront himself with the inconvenient, annoying, not-at-all relativistic truth. HE. LOVED. HER.

He needed to do something about it.

A plan began to coalesce…he was nothing if not quick to act when the moment was upon him. Even before he'd finished laying the groundwork, he texted her, got a response, and told her to meet him in the study room.

He mentally composed the first steps of his plan before realizing that the damn kitten the Dean (Ok, Jeff…remember, he's just Craig now. If he hadn't insinuated himself into the apartment next door, he wouldn't be ANYONE except a bad Moby lookalike anymore…A bad Moby lookalike who somehow, had worked his way into Jeff's heart, and earned some measure of fondness. Since when did Jeff have a heart, anyway?!) had given him at Christmas time had fallen asleep on his lap, and he'd been absent-mindedly petting it the whole time he'd been thinking.

He had a cat, and wasn't even bothered by it. Jeff was convinced Greendale had fucked over his brain but good. He gently picked the feline up, and set him on the couch to the side, stroking him to get him to settle back in as he stood up, grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

-

Britta'd had more to drink tonight than anyone thought, but she still wasn't drunk. She'd been through enough shit lately to wish she was though. Between Troy deciding they needed to break up so they didn't hurt their friendship, and Jeff's graduating underscoring the fundamental idea that "to all good things, there must come an end," Britta was feeling incredibly alone.

Then her phone buzzed with an incoming text message. She checked it…shocked by both the sender and the content. She didn't expect to hear from HIM tonight, of all nights, and definitely not about THIS. She didn't have the energy to deal with Jeff Winger's drama tonight…but for the last four years, he'd been there (most of the time) for them and her, when it was needed. She wasn't about to be the one to break up the fellowship of the study group now. She shot back a reply, and grabbed her coat.

-

Annie had mixed feelings about today. She was thrilled for Jeff and Pierce, of course, and she wasn't about to complain about the steak dinner. Better-than-bad steak, drinks, and friends she'd become closer to than her estranged "real" family.

But she still feared she'd lose Jeff, and Pierce, for that matter. He'd assured them several times that it'd never happen, and a lot of his actions in the past had supported that…like abandoning a party with his former colleagues to help them win the Pop-and-Lock-athon. They'd lost…but had they really? She still remembered leading the charge onto the dance floor, and clinging to one side of him, with Shirley on the other. Everyone was so glad and grateful to see him make the choice to be with them. Again, they lost the dance contest, but she felt like they'd "won" Jeff, and in the long run, which was more important? She reminded herself that that was a question to keep private…or, barring that, at least never ask Chang. He'd been peeved about that one for a LONG time, and it was best left forgotten.

She'd found herself growing surprisingly close to Jeff over the past four years. Something that had started as a very sibling-like relationship had unexpectedly mutated into…something different. Something she couldn't define, whether for fear of facing what it meant, or fearing the possible rejection, or fear of it being "wrong." She knew there was a massive age gap between them, and at first, her raw attraction to him had half been safe in her mind, half creepy. She couldn't deny he was good looking, but she was devoted to Troy, and he was just so much older, and SUCH an arrogant ass.

Then, little things started sneaking through the cracks. She'd thrown a Halloween party for extra credit the first year, and berated him into attending, even though he'd ditched out as soon as he saw an opportunity to pursue Slater. She'd been crushed when she realized he'd left, but really because she felt abandoned by the "cool guy" who she'd identified as the linchpin to the success of her party, which his attendance would rely on. When he came back to rescue Pierce…she was just relieved that once again, she had a good chance people wouldn't leave en masse…leaving her a social reject. Again. But when he pulled her up to dance, something clicked. She felt safe in his arms, and that feeling of safety allowed her to abandon some of her normal defenses, and allow herself to actually enjoy herself. Even before this party…she'd been charmed by his addressing her as "Milady," and kissing her hand…and smarmy as it may have been, she knew he wasn't doing it in a creepy way, but just as a part of the charm that was an innate part of him. It was the affection she felt from him, combined with his, frankly, unreasonable attractiveness that made her start paying more attention to him. It also didn't hurt that Troy had been completely oblivious to her interest in him…and while Troy was a good looking guy, Jeff was better looking, more mature (in most ways…but even as smitten as she'd eventually become with him as she was, she had to admit that Jeff had some serious emotional maturity issues,) more experienced, smarter…just more of what she wanted.

But honestly, as she sat on her bed, staring blankly at the wall as she recalled old memories, she realized that this was all after-the-fact justification. Yes, she'd swooned, ever so slightly at being called "Milady," and flattered by the fact that he seemed to actually pay attention to her, rather than barely notice her, like Troy, and take comfort in his presence, and the silent apology at his abandoning her by dancing with her…but the moment that she'd finally, truly realized that she was developing feelings for Jeff, even if they WERE just a crush, wasn't even a moment that she was involved in as much more than an observer.

A single word came to her lips. "Simmons."

It was Jeff's leaping to her defense when Simmons started poking at the weak points in her psychological armor, especially after he'd just let Simmons' teasing of him roll off of him, that she realized that Jeff was an absolutely amazing guy. Whether it was because he looked at her as a little sister or not, he was, in that moment, her white knight. She hadn't even had to ask him to defend her…it had come naturally to him.

Then, as they were studying, she'd had the sudden urge to let loose a little bit…by letting down her hair. Hey, that was a big deal for her! When she'd asked Jeff for his opinion on the new look…all he could say was "Uhhh, yeah…" She had two options there. Either he didn't like it, but was letting her down easy, and couldn't think of any other way to put it, or he liked it to the point of not really being able to respond. Annie had made the conscious decision to go with the latter option. After all, she'd had years of talking down to herself, and she'd just barely had a wonderful experience with Jeff swooping in to her rescue…so what if she let her own desires influence how she was going to interpret his response? It was harmless enough, right?

Then Shirley came in to tell them about Abed's movie, and made everything awkward and wonderful all at once. Suddenly she was very aware of how close she and Jeff were, and how low cut this blouse was without her sweater tied over it…and how the concept of the evilness of man tended to veer a LOT into discussions of morality, and thoughts of morality lead right into…other thoughts.

Jeff was clearly feeling the tension as well, because he quickly suggested that they'd probably do a better job on prepping alone. At least, Annie allowed herself the vanity of assuming it was because he felt the tension…but when she agreed, SHE was the one who let out the embarrassing Freudian slip. She was sure that Jeff wasn't ever going to be in the same room as her again, let alone help her beat Simmons in the debate. She'd allowed herself to get a little hung up on "cool guy"…no, wait…"cool, sexy guy" Jeff Winger. She'd have stuffed more superlatives in there, but it starts getting silly at around three. But then she'd gone and ruined it all again. How had she allowed herself to think that he might see her as anything more than a little sister who gets good grades and helps him get good grades? Ridiculous. He had Britta, the more worldly, free-spirited, and definitely looser than Annie to chase.

The whole way home, all night long, and all the way back to school the next day, Annie was mentally berating herself for her stupidity. She couldn't believe how foolish she was, and she was just grateful that Jeff didn't seem to make a big deal about it, and showed up to the debate. She was going to beat the hell out of Simmons…and show Jeff, Troy, her mom (not in the audience…but Annie'll keep this in her chamber if she ever needs it), and most of all, herself, that there was something worthwhile in this little, brown haired, perpetually cardiganed package.

They were on fire. Simmons and the City College team didn't stand a chance. Seeing his last chance, Jeremy Simmons launched his gambit (and himself, to turn a phrase.) When Jeff, as much of an asshole as he tried to pass himself off as, saw it…he instinctively caught him. Annie felt her spirits sink…Jeff made a fool of himself in the first round through showmanship, but now Simmons was going to snatch victory back from the brink of defeat through the same thing.

Annie had a sudden idea, and in a split second, she realized that two could play that game, they could still win the debate, and she could do something she very, very badly wanted to do all at the same time. All of these trains of thought were running through her head simultaneously when she marched up to Jeff, grabbed his face, and pulled him in for a full on, open mouth, spit-swapping , tongue massaging kiss. Jeff, the "good boy" she knew he would be, dropped Simmons flat on his face, kissing her right back, and grabbing her hips, pulled her in close to his body. Annie wouldn't trade this moment for a thing…let the girls who made fun of her back in high school see this…little Annie Adderall kissing a suave, sophisticated, and just plain sexy man like Jeff Winger, and he was getting INTO it.

Annie's mind was in two places at the same time…on one hand, it seemed like they had been locked together, trying to become…better acquainted with each other, for an eternity. In the other part of her brain, she was keeping careful track of how long she allowed this to go on. She had to be able to play this off later, or else she'd scare him away. She might not have won his heart, but she didn't want to lose his friendship entirely. Not for one kiss. But, even still…that one kiss was enough for her to realize that she wanted Jeff, and she felt like he wanted her. She thanked all of the deities in all the pantheons she'd studied in her Comparative Religion class for the fact that she'd stuck with Debate, so she'd had this chance. She even played it safe, and thanked Pierce's weird Laser Buddha, and L. Ron Hubbard.

She decided finally, even though in reality, it had been a matter of seconds; that she had to break off. Regretfully, she reclaimed her tongue from Jeff's mouth, and pulled away, delivering her final retort. "He was horny, so he dropped him. Man. Is. Evil."  
No one else knew that at that moment, her real thought was that woman, not man, was the evil one here. She wasn't looking directly at him, but her peripheral vision clearly caught Jeff's stunned expression, one of confusion, and…most astounding of all, loss. She felt like she had used him for the win, as well as for her own personal pleasures, because even though she would claim later on (with a meaningful "I'm totally bullshitting here" look to Jeff) that it was completely without feeling, she was actually floating in the clouds, both from the kiss, and the resulting win.

After the debate…neither one of them was sure how to handle the other. Do they kiss more? They could both tell that the other wanted to, but something about it wasn't quite right. Hug? Too close. Handshake? Too coolly professional. In the end, Annie just asked for one the head pats she'd grown to know from Jeff. It wasn't what she wanted, but it kept things…normal.

Back in the present day, Annie snapped out of her vivid reliving of the events nearly four years ago. There'd been a lot of moments between them since then, of course…the even BETTER kiss after she realized she didn't want to go to Delaware with Vaughn, and quite frankly…while she liked him, she didn't LIKE him. She just really liked that someone wanted to ask her out. She was grateful he'd allowed her to set the pace on things, so she'd never felt pressured to sleep with him. Annie rarely thought about him these days…off being the new Wing Wong Macadamia Nut Jr, or whatever it was. Any thoughts she ever had of him always tracked right back to getting ready to leave with him, backing out at the last minute, and then Jeff…just Jeff. How she had timidly kissed him again, and then pulled back…not sure if he approved or not, but terrified that he'd snap at her that he'd "already had two women throw themselves at him tonight, and he REALLY didn't need the pressure of a third, who was WAY too much of a child for him, thank you very much!"

But that wasn't what happened at all. One minute, she was looking into his eyes, desperate for him to say something, anything that would make her not feel like she'd just done something so utterly faux pas. He didn't though. What he did was even better. He pulled her quickly to him, and kissed her the way she'd never been kissed before. She wasn't sure how she managed it without passing out from the sheer intensity.

There were other moments, of course, over the next few years. Some good, some bad, some in between. Finding out about Jeff and Britta's secret sexing. Bad. Going off script and telling Jeff she loved him during the Professor Professorson debacle…in between. His impressed tone when he spoke about her performance later that night in the blanket fort? Butterflies. Then, when the fort came down, and they got oh-so-close again…someone issued those butterflies high octane engines. Then, of course, his "relationships are complicated" speech. Bad. He couldn't even say "no, I'm not interested in you," properly. His doting on her during the Annie Kim affair…she adored him for that, and after it, she always felt like she was viewed as less of a kid, and more of a peer in his eyes, which she'd never complain about, especially if it made her more viable to him as an option. Then, there was the embarrassing Mrs. Winger debacle. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but Jeff didn't seem to mind all that much, and honestly…he seemed nicer to her after it. More…couple-y.

Annie knew she had to stop. These reminiscences never got her anywhere but back to pining all the more. She hadn't dated anyone since she got turned down by Rich…and frankly, hadn't wanted to. She didn't even really want to date Rich, but she would have, and enjoyed it, if he'd said yes. But she thought she'd made it QUITE clear to Jeff, back in that men's bathroom, that Rich was a back-up plan, and he had first right of refusal, and he just had to say, quite simply, that he wanted her. Maybe she hadn't put it quite that way, but the implications were there, right?

Anyway, according to Abed, the ever-present and observant, she and Jeff were pretty much dating without actually dating…which is why guys steered clear of her. While she wanted more than a non-relationship relationship, for now, she was happy with what she had. At this thought, she laughingly said quietly to herself "Let's face it…you're still pretty young, a lot of years ahead of you. This is working out, for now." Despite being "Irony-Free Annie," ("That's NOT what they call you") she caught the full irony of her youth being both her big problem in the "Jeff and her thing," as well as her saving grace.

And then, just like clockwork, she felt the same sense of loss she always did…but much, much harder this time. She honestly felt like she was going to lose Jeff, and it was breaking her heart. She knew, logically, that it didn't make any sense for her to feel this way. He'd proven himself time and again…but logic be damned. She was going to be girly and emotional right now. She'd just watched the man she'd fallen head over heels for, offered herself to repeatedly, only to be turned down without REALLY being turned down, and become best friends with graduate today. Before…it was almost like he was trapped with her. Now, if they were going to maintain anything, and (if she allowed herself to be optimistic) move forward…it'd have to be because he WANTED to, not because she was possibly the best option (in his eyes) on a small campus.

It was going to be a long, long night. She knew she should probably TRY to get to bed soon, and hopefully wake up in less of a funk, but she couldn't bring herself to move off the edge of her bed. She could hear Abed and Troy starting up a movie outside her room, and could smell popcorn. At least it wasn't the absolute middle of the night, and at least they weren't doing their stupid fake morning show. Annie STILL held a grudge against Troy and Abed in the Morning, after Abed had a breakdown when she'd JUST TRIED TO MAKE THEIR ROOM NICER! UGH, BOYS!

With that, Annie finally mustered up the momentum to fling herself backward on her bed. At least it was SOME movement, reducing the chances that any ethereal passers-by would think her some sort of odd bed gargoyle or something.

Annie realized a couple of things when she thought of this. First of all, she'd either had more to drink than she thought, or the events of the day had taken more out of her than she'd expected. Second, if she was imagining ghostly critics floating through her room, and herself as a "bed gargoyle," she was spending WAY too much time around Troy and Abed.

Then she thought she felt her phone buzz. She almost dismissed it as phantom phone syndrome, but went for it anyway. When she saw it was a text from Jeff, her eyes snapped open wide, and she sat bolt upright, opening the message, but barely daring to read it.

"Are you awake?"

"Jeff, it's 11:30 PM on a Friday night…you know very well Troy and Abed don't get quiet enough for someone to sleep for a few more hours."

"Good. I need to talk to you." (Her heart leapt. This could be very good, very bad, or, it could just be another squashed yam.)

"Call me?"

"No, I need to talk to you, face to face" (She thrilled again, and another text came before she could respond.)

"Can you meet me at the study room in 10 minutes?"

"Jeff! It's 11:30 PM on a Friday. Isn't it a bit late for that?"

"What happened to you being up for a few more hours anyway?"

"Well, still…it's break. It'll be locked up."

"I'll handle that. Meet me in 10?"

"Jeff! You aren't doing anything…illegal, are you?"

"Dunno, maybe you'd better meet me so you can make sure I stay in line."

"Jeff!"

"Clock's ticking, Edison. 10 minutes, study room. Don't make me wait."

"JEFF!"

He doesn't respond.

At least she was still dressed. She only had 10 minutes. The drive to Greendale takes just under that.

Annie grabbed a bag, and headed out of her room. Abed looks at her quizzically, "Are you going out again, or are you dressed up to watch the Kickpuncher marathon (Of COURSE, they'd been talking about doing this to "usher in the summer" for weeks) with us?"

"Something came up, guys…I'll be home as soon as I can."

Troy and Abed exchange concerned glances as she steps out of the door.

"Should we be worried?" Troy asks.

Abed quirks an eyebrow and turns back to the movie.

Annie makes it to campus in 6 minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

Remedial Studies in 360-Degree Rotations: Chapter 2

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 2965  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: Several non-canonical creative liberties taken in order to make the story fit better...like with the hotel thing. I know from my own business trip experience that there really ARE hotels that will do this, sometimes more slyly than others. So, it didn't make sense to me that they'd just assume Annie was Mrs. Winger...especially when they were clearly in JOINT rooms. It also gave me a good starting point for the resolutions Jeff is pursuing in this story. Also, Jeff strikes me as the sort who'd go through therapists almost like Kleenex...and I rolled with it. I also decided to change the name of this story to something that I felt fit the Community naming conventions better. Finally, allow me to express some personal opinion, since this is my soapbox...with Dan Harmon back, I don't expect him to tell THIS story, but the more and more I write about Jeff and Annie, whether it be my own stories, or my analysis of the canonical episodes...the more I hope that he uses his super-creator power to finally give us the couple we've been longing to see for so many years. Not just for US, but for the two of them too.

**Remedial Studies in 360-Degree Rotations/Full Circle**

Chapter 2

He waited in the study room. He'd only been there for a few minutes, but in that time, he'd completely redefined pacing.

WHY was he pacing? It was completely incomprehensible. He, Jeff Winger, the man who'd cowed countless opposing councilors, and could have nearly any woman he wanted for a wink and a smile…was nervous. What the hell was that about?

"You're afraid of a little slip of a girl…how did you come to this?"

He recognized the voice in his head as his own, but with a gravelly edge. Memories from earlier in the day came to his head, and irritated him all the more.

"Shut up, I already beat you once. You don't get your way anymore. I've grown beyond you."

"Oh, is THAT what they've deluded you into thinking? Time to find ANOTHER new shink, Winger..if you can find one that won't refuse to keep seeing you after they realize that not only are your issues incredibly deep-seated, but that you aren't really interested in progressing. You're COMFORTABLE. And why wouldn't you be? Letting me be in charge gave us an awesome life…with only one minor hitch. And now that you have your degree, that's solved. So time to step aside again…and tonight should go smoothly. The girl comes, we hit it and forget it, and move on, like we always do."

"Rot in hell."

"What do you think the inside of your head IS?! I'm not going ANYWHERE Winger, I'll ALWAYS be here with you."

His introspection was cut short by Annie's arrival. And just like that, the gravelly voice in his head quieted down, allowing him to focus on the plan he'd laid out…a plan which he'd have to dig up the number for the doctor who was his therapist TWO therapists ago, and give them a call to thank them, no matter how this went.

"Ok Jeff, you got me down here in the middle of the night, and you should know, Greendale in the middle of the night at break time is CREEPY! You could have met me in the parking lot or something." Annie pouted at him, her expression a mixture of genuine hurt and tension. He could nearly feel the darker emotions rolling off her, and it made him sad…why HADN'T he offered to wait in the lot for her? He was too busy thinking about himself, and everything he planned on doing tonight, and got caught up again.

"Annie, I'm sorry. I should have thought about that, really, but I guess I've had a lot on my mind. I really appreciate you coming down here so quickly, but I promise…by the time everything's all said and done, you won't regret it."

She looked back at him, clearly already forgiving him. She wasn't smiling yet, but she wasn't frowning anymore, and was doing the irresistible thing she always did with him where she tilted her head down ever-so-slightly, and looked up at him, biting her lip.  
"Do I get a Winger guarantee on that?" she pouted at him.

"You bet. And it all starts right now…but first, I have to lay down some ground rules."

His businesslike manner made her snap out of her half-pouty, half-flirty posture, and lean back against the study room's table, arms folded across her chest.

"Ground rules, huh? Ok...Mr. Hot Shot, hit me with your ground rules."

"First and foremost, you follow my lead, no matter what."

"I'm apprehensive, but whatever."

"Second, while you're indulging me on this little expedition, truth is absolutely required. Definitely nothing outright false, no half-truths for the sake of self-preservation, and no hiding anything."

"Jeff, I'm confused…what do you think I've been lying about?"

"I don't know that you have…I made that rule so YOU would know the nature of everything I tell you tonight, and wouldn't doubt any of it. I can't compel you to follow that one, but I'd appreciate it."

Annie was already bewildered by these odd "rules" Jeff was laying out…but then she realized, this was Greendale Community College. A college where, at one point, a former Spanish teacher had carried out a coup to take over the school…and had gotten them all expelled. If THAT could happen, anything could. She started feeling what she had long thought of as the "Greendale Justification Effect" settle in to her brain, allowing her to just "go with it."

Jeff cleared his throat to get Annie's attention, having seen her go glassy-eyed for a moment, and then continued once she snapped out of her reverie.

"Third, and last rule. I already know that some of what I say to you tonight is going to upset you. I ask that no matter how upset you get, you NOT storm out until I tell you we're done, and I ask that we are able to have some candid back and forth about each issue that arises."

Annie was a bit troubled by Jeff's prediction that he would be upsetting her, but managed to squeak out an "Uh-huh" while nodding her head.

"Good…then this is as good a place as any to start. First of all, you need to understand that I'm not COMPLETELY crazy…this is an exercise that was recommended to me by my old-old therapist. In fact, it's the REASON they're my old-old therapist. With how things have been going lately though…I decided to give it a shot."

Annie got laser-focused on Jeff at that moment. He was actually taking a therapists advice, and he wasn't even doing it with Britta to prompt him…usually "therapizing" moments tended to take place with her pushing him into it, which inevitably made a mess that he'd then have to clean up. Without Britta here though…she had no idea what it meant.

"Ok, Annie…here goes. Remember that trip we took with Troy and Abed? We were going to ski while they went to their convention?"

Annie nodded, feeling her chest tighten. That had been an incredibly embarrassing trip for her. Jeff had managed to talk it out with her, but she still felt some shame and humiliation from the memories. Why was he bringing this up right now? They'd resolved this issue!  
"Well, you weren't here for this part, but Abed and I stopped off in the study room before we left. This was the last place I went before we took off…which is why I'm doing this here NOW. Part of the exercise is 'returning to the scene of the crime' so to speak, to give the moment an anchor in the present for resolution, or some other nonsense. It's all psychobabble, but I figured if I'm going to do this, I may as well do it right."

Jeff could tell when he looked at Annie's face that she was completely lost and bewildered. He needed to get onto the message quick before he lost the ability to engage her. She had a good attention span, but eventually she was going to get bored if he didn't act.

"Ok…well, I have to ask you before I get onto saying what I have to say. Was there anything that prompted you to play the part of 'Mrs. Winger' when we went on that little excursion?"

Annie felt her worst fears coming true. She'd already paid the price for this once! Wasn't that enough? She could hear the little voice in her head talking to her in the snidest, snottiest tone she knew herself capable of. "Just walk out. He doesn't deserve your tears. He doesn't deserve your time. What was he thinking, that after four years, he'd call you, get you to drop EVERYTHING, and come play his humiliating little games with him? It's like high school all over again. No one sees your value, and thinks you'll dance to whatever song they play."

Annie was torn between walking out, and speaking up. She looked over at Jeff, seated at his normal seat (no, remember, Annie…his OLD seat. He's graduated now,) while she leaned backwards between Britta and Abed's seats. He was looking at her expectantly. That settled it. She'd agreed to his rules, and he'd warned her. She WASN'T a little girl anymore, and she could handle whatever big, bad Jeff Winger threw her way.

"Actually, yes there was. I'll follow your rules, and be completely honest and forthcoming here. I HAD done the pretending/fantasizing thing about us being married before, but I wasn't even thinking about it…much, until I picked up the phone to order room service, and they addressed me as . Happy?"

Jeff just sighed and looked down at the table.

"Yeah…I figured it might be something like that. Annie, given what you told me that day about your experiences on vacations…well, I'm guessing you didn't know that a lot of hotels, especially higher end ones, and MOST especially ones that are geared to mixed clientele…such as one that might see guests that are there for business, guests that are there with their families, or even guests that are there for affairs have several ways, some discreet, some less so…of finding out who you're travelling with. It's almost like a safety mechanism they've figured out to keep from embarrassing their guests by referring to, say…a co-worker you're travelling with as your spouse."

Annie felt like she'd just passed through a sheet of ice…what was Jeff saying?

"What are you saying?" she asked, realizing that if she wanted an answer, asking in her head wouldn't get her any closer.

"I'm saying that…a hotel like the one that we were staying at, in close proximity to a ski resort, and a convention center...well, they might be interested in knowing their guests well enough to not embarrass them."

Annie felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Jeff…?!"

"So…they might have addressed you as Mrs. Winger…because that's how I checked us in. I told them you were my wife."

Annie wasn't actually crying yet, but she could feel hot tears running down her face…he'd HUMILIATED her, and then made HER feel bad about it. And he wasn't even looking up at her to see what this little revelation was doing to her. She'd had enough. She stood up, walked over to where he sat, still looking down, and slapped his cheek. HARD. Not "I just found out you slept with Britta, then made out with me" hard, but enough to let him know he'd better not ignore her like this if he was going to humiliate her.

"OW! Annie, what the fuck?!"

"How DARE you drag me down here in the middle of the night just to hurt me like this. Was that your big plan? Make sure Annie knows what a fool you've made of her this whole time? HUH?!"

Jeff actually looked remorseful (and his cheek looked uncomfortable too, which gave Annie a tiny amount of satisfaction.)

"Look, Annie…NO! I wasn't even finished yet! God! This isn't easy, and it's not all scripted or anything…so I can't just spit it out all at once! Will you sit down?"

Annie pulled out Britta's chair, and sat, still glaring at him with her arms folded.

"Look, I did it because I couldn't think of what else to call you. I didn't feel right just calling you my 'friend.' You're more than that, and you know it. I could have said 'best friend,' but I'm not a 14 year old girl…I couldn't say girlfriend or fiancée, and to be honest…sometimes, even with as stupid as I think marriage is, *I* wonder what it'd be like to be married to you too, OK?!"

His volume and rage built all through the last couple of sentences, with the final words shouted, while he half-rose out of his chair.  
Annie was stunned even more than she had been by his previous admission. She felt a whole mix of emotions running through her head…and she wasn't sure which was the strongest. All she knew for sure was that she was utterly confused. It felt like pieces of her world that she'd managed to get comfortable with were flipping upside down.

"Jeff, why are you even telling me this? I thought we'd managed to put all of this behind us," she sniffled at him.

He looked up, meeting her eyes completely, "Because I want to clear things up between us. As of today, I'm officially done at Greendale…but there are still issues between you and me that need to be resolved. I don't have that with anyone else in the group. Pierce and I will have issues until we're both dead...I just accept that. Britta annoys me like a sister, but we're on the same page with everything. Same thing with those two clowns you call roommates. Shirley may, in fact, be the person in the group who gets me the best when I'm at my weirdest, and I certainly get her, but you…you and I have a few stumbling blocks that I HAVE to get cleared up. You're too important to me to risk letting this get away from me. I've been thinking about this for some time now…and I've got a few things to put right between you and me.

So this…this was the first, and I need you to listen to this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for allowing you to get humiliated, I'm sorry I didn't come clean immediately after I realized how this might have happened. Now, to be completely fair to me, I didn't even THINK about how I'd screwed up right away…I was too in the moment, and to be perfectly honest, checking you in as my wife just felt…natural. If any man at that hotel had asked, as long as you were out of earshot, I would have proudly claimed you. However, when I'm having drinks thrown in my face, I'm not exactly thinking 'Oh, hey...is Annie mad because I said she was my wife? I really ought to figure this out.' No, I'm thinking 'COLD! WET! ALCOHOL BURNING EYES!'"

Annie giggled at this last part, as he imitated his own reaction to having drinks thrown in his face, and started cleaning up the moisture on her face as he continued.

"So, once I figured it out, I should have said something, but by that point…it was passed, and it would have only made me look bad. I figured, I had nothing to gain from it, and you weren't upset about it anymore, so why bother? I should have recognized that I was being selfish, and that what I had to gain from it was the fact that maybe, even if it didn't clear up any residual embarrassment of your own…at least we could have been embarrassed together."

Annie felt herself melting inside now, like she always did when Jeff got honest. She actually started smiling at him, and then mischievously decided to poke a bear that had just gotten to sleep.

"I notice you didn't apologize for hitting on that Thoraxis fanatic…"

"Annie…remember what I said in the bar? IF we were married. We weren't, and aren't. If I'm ever tied down, even to something as non-legally binding as a girlfriend, I'll be a one-woman man. But until that point, I'm free to flirt with anyone I please"

Annie just smirked at him, and as he stood, she mirrored him. She felt like he was a bit lost, so she closed the short distance, and they naturally fell into a hug together.

"Thank you, Jeff. That really DID make me feel a bit better. I'd managed to bury that, but it was still there bothering me in the background. I think this finally managed to put it to rest though."

"Glad to hear it…it helped me too, even if my face hurts."

She winced, looking up at the clear red mark, she followed her urge to reach up and softly caress it. "I'm really sorry. You've managed to hurt me a lot in the past, and it's been an emotional day. But, still…if this was your big plan, it was worth it. Thank you for doing this for me."

Jeff just looked down at her and cocked an eyebrow. "First off, thank YOU, both for coming, and for following all the rules. That little soul-baring you just did? That's exactly the kind of total honesty I was hoping for. So, we agree…the hotel issue, resolved?"

She pulled back slightly so she could see his face better.

"Resolved."

She couldn't stop her eyes from darting back and forth between his eyes and his lips. He was so close…and despite the fact that her heart was thundering in her ears and her equilibrium was all off and time wasn't moving at its normal speed and oh God why had everything slowed down and was he really going to kiss her for the first time in years and she'd waited so long for this…

"And you're absolutely crazy if you think this was the entire plan. I'm not done putting things right." His voice, slightly husky, but stopping short of being tinged with gravel shocked Annie out of her bewilderment, and at the same time, broke out of her grasp. She immediately felt like something had been taken from her. All she wanted was to be back in his arms, clinging tightly to him, like a pillar of strength. A warm, muscular, handsome pillar of strength with great hair…Annie shook her head slightly and realized Jeff was holding out the crook of his arm for her.

"Milady?"

Smiling up at the familiar term of endearment that she'd only ever heard him use for her, she took it, contenting herself with this small piece of him to hold onto for now.

As they approached the study room door, Annie suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, which held Jeff back too.

"Annie, what's wrong?"

"Jeff…I thought campus was deserted except for us?"

"It is…it's break. Even the janitors are off today, and Greendale doesn't have a security force anymore, since…Chang…" Jeff trailed off. She knew the situation well enough that he didn't have to explain it.

"Well, I could swear I just saw something move."


	3. Chapter 3

Remedial Studies in 360 Degree Revolutions: Chapter 3

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 2561  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though. This chapter carries warnings for extreme sappiness and extra fluff.

  
**Remedial Studies in 360 Degree Revolutions (Full Circle)**

Chapter 3

"Seriously, Jeff? The Dean's office?"

"You obviously have no clue why we're here…which, honestly, isn't surprising."

"Nope. None. So, care to enlighten me? After telling me that you didn't avoid humiliating me at that hotel…I'm fascinated about what you and the Dean may have cooked up that you need to apologize for."

Jeff looked down at the brunette who, between surrendering a full head on him, as well as a significant amount of shoulder width, really WAS roughly half his size. She'd clung to him the whole walk here from the Study Room, and kept saying that she thought she saw something out of the corners of her eyes, which was causing her to be extremely frightened and agitated.

This, along with lack of sleep (It was getting pretty late, and they'd had a FULL day,) as well as any alcohol she'd had that night being completely out of her system was leading to a personality shift Jeff had always privately referred to as "Ms. Not-In-Control-Of-The-Situation-And-Everyone-In-It Crankypants Edison."

Of course, he'd never said it out loud…and tonight DEFINITELY wasn't the night to start doing so. Tonight was about setting things right between them, and getting everything in the open…not starting NEW conflicts. Plenty of time for that down the road, he figured.

"Well, Ms. Crankypants (what the hell…calling her that will probably bug her less than the out of control dig anyway,) it so happens that I brought you here to talk to you about what happened our first day back this year. Remember, New Jeff vs. Old Jeff, and you calling me selfish?"

She sat back on the Dean's desk, giving Jeff a dirty look, obviously the new nickname he'd graced her with hadn't gone unnoticed.  
"Of course I remember. Kind of hard to forget how you threw a wrench in senior year for all of us. Is THAT what you're apologizing for?"  
"Annie, I thought I explained it earlier…tonight isn't JUST about apologies. It's about making things right, and total honesty. Sometimes that entails more of an explanation than an apology. And I hate to put this kind of pressure on you, especially since I think you're not in the best frame of mind right now…but this HAS to happen tonight, and I'm going to have to ask for your participation this time around."

Annie was starting to feel slightly intrigued, slightly pensive about this new twist.

"What does my participation consist of?"

"We'll get to that. Just try to keep an open mind."

Annie just set her face in stone, her mouth a solid, stoic line across her face.

"ANYWAY, Ms. Pouty ("Jeff, stop with the new nicknames!") do you remember what you were doing in here when I was in the…(Jeff had to steel himself to even say the name of the competition…the Dean had REALLY started getting ridiculous in his forced Dean puns) Hunger Deans?"

"Yes, Shirley and I were pulling a senior prank. I thought it'd be funny to move the Dean's stapler a couple of inches…" Annie trailed off as she realized how ridiculous that sounded, and mumbled "I'd like to say that I guess I'd never said it out loud before…but that isn't even true."

Jeff just smirked at her "Remind me not to ever put you in charge when Abed decides he wants us to do a reboot of Punk'd."

"Ok, I get it! Your point, Jeff?"

"Right. I came in to tell you something while you were in the middle of your HIL-arious prank. Do you remember what it was?"

"Yes, you said you had a red ball for one of us. You had gotten six of them, remember? You were only one short, and then Leonard took all your ba…" Annie trailed off, realizing that she'd nearly inadvertently stuck her foot in her mouth.

"First of all, nice catch, and second, you're on the right trail, Detective Edison ("Ok, that one I like."), but not quite. I said I had YOUR red ball. It was only the second one I had won, and it was for you, not you or Shirley…YOU. Do you get what I'm driving at here, Annie?"

Annie allowed herself to feel a twinge of hope, but couldn't bring herself to say yes, having been batted down by Jeff's attitude of "You're seeing things that aren't there" time after time.

"Sorry Jeff, you're going to have to make it more clear to me…remember your own rules. Full disclosure tonight, right?"

Jeff didn't even look regretful when she played the rules card on him. Annie was a little bit shocked. Either he had expected her to do that, or he didn't care…and if he didn't care, it was probably because he was emotionally distant from the situation. Annie felt the little twinge of hope in her chest die like a guttering flame.

"Fine…they're my rules, and I'll follow them. I got YOU that second red ball because I got the first one for me. I REALLY needed that history credit, for obvious reasons. And of course I wanted to get the whole group in that class. Over the last four years, that's been what we've done, and it's proven to be very, very important to me. Before we got together, I really didn't have anyone in my life. You already knew this though. I had no family to speak of, which I'm sure you're familiar with, and really no friends. You and the rest of the group have become both to me. But, more than anyone else…I wanted YOU in that class with me. If I had only managed to win the two red balls, I wanted to make sure that the second would have gone to you."

Annie started to feel the twinge of hope in her chest reignite…but then the snotty voice she remembered from earlier overlaid her thoughts "Of COURSE he wanted YOU in the class…remember when you were Biology partners? Remember what he said?!" Annie just plain couldn't hold back…

"Of course you wanted me in that class…remember? Good grade in a tight sweater?" she sneered at him.

"Ok, I deserved that, I admit, but SERIOUSLY Annie…it's The History of Ice Cream. I realize I'm health-conscious, but I'm pretty confident in my sundae building abilities."

Annie stood up, and, arms still folded, turned away from him, and walked around the side of the Dean's desk.

"So, if it wasn't for my notes, then why?"

"Well, Annie, I won't deny that your impeccable notes are ALWAYS welcome…asarethetightsweaters." Jeff mumbled out the last part…praying she didn't key into it. Annie, for her part, just cocked an eyebrow, which Jeff couldn't even see.

"But honestly, Annie…you have to understand, if I'm going to have to pick ONE person out of the group to get to spend time with, most of the time, it's going to be you. Don't get me wrong…Britta is a great drinking buddy, and no one can take verbal abuse like her. Abed is a blast to hang out with, depending on what he's been watching recently. Troy is the guy who I know will ALWAYS have my back, as long as I haven't been a jackass recently, and anyone that doesn't recognize the value of that is a fool. And Shirley is quite possibly one of my favorite people in the world, and one of the few people who scares the living bejeezus out of me on a regular basis.

But none of them are you."

Jeff paused, just for a minute to let that sink in. He hadn't planned on Winger speeching her here…he'd thought she'd grasp the purpose of his admission that the second ball was for her off the bat, so he was unprepared. This one was straight from the heart.

"None of them are you, and you're the person I want to DO things with. That's why I would pick you first for a class with limited seating, or why I wanted to go skiing with you, or even why I wanted to do a paired Halloween costume. Because I enjoy doing things with you, and JUST you. I like doing things with the group, but sometimes 7 is a crowd, right? Troy and Abed have their adventures…and I like the ones you and I have together."

Annie wasn't sure what to think about this admission…it was jarring, to say the least. Back in the study room, Jeff had admitted he'd thought about life together with her, as a couple. Now he was saying…well, what WAS he saying?

"Jeff, what are you saying?"

"Ok, still not there yet? I'll put it bluntly. Annie, you know everyone in the study group, aside from being 'family' are also all my friends, right?" Annie, now facing him just nodded blankly…still unsure of how to react to this.

"Well, I've come to realize that you aren't just my friend. You're by far, my best friend. And YES, this makes me a bit of a 14 year old girl now…but just know now that I'm never checking us into a hotel as Jeff Winger + bestie."

Annie was slightly stunned. Jeff's body language was completely open…his arms down at his sides, palms cupped barely in front of him…almost in supplication. Slowly, Annie realized that he really WAS following the rules he'd set down for the evening. This was Jeff being totally honest with her. The mere idea that he would find that kind of bond with her, after all this time caused tears of happiness to well up. Annie realized that despite all the love she'd found in this ersatz family, she'd never had anyone give her the label of 'best friend.' Pierce had referred to her as his favorite, but that wasn't quite the same…it was affectionately diminutive. Being Jeff's best friend made them peers.

"Annie, I really didn't mean to make you cry. This was supposed to be a good thing. Unless those are the good kind of girl tears…I'm WAY more used to the bad kind, so I can't really recognize the good ones."

Annie just sniffled a bit, realizing that she was full on weeping.

"Yes, Jeff…they're the good kind. I'm sorry, it's been an emotional 24 hours. You see, aside from some guy telling me that he'd unintentionally humiliated me a few months ago by pretending we were a married couple, then playing dumb when he found out I'd done the same…well, I watched my best friend graduate today. It was kind of a big deal."

Annie really couldn't see through her tears, but wasn't at all surprised when she felt Jeff's arms wrap around her, pulling her in for a warm hug, and stroking her hair as she rested her head against his chest…just listening to his steady heartbeat. It was a moment that she never, ever wanted to end, despite the fact that for what had seemed like forever, she'd wanted a deeper relationship with this man, she was content with him just holding her, and making her feel safe and secure. It didn't even matter that it was in the Dean's office, and not somewhere more personal and intimate, like his bed…or even his couch. She just drank in his smell, and his warmth, reveling in every sensation.

After an eternity, or mere moments, Annie pulled slightly back, not wanting to break the hug, but wanting to be able to talk to Jeff.

"Can I ask a question now?"

"Of course."

"I really don't want to sound like a…b-word, but if you want to do things with me so bad, why'd you back out on the Halloween party? Did I screw up my costume THAT much?"

Jeff just chuckled at this idea, "No, Annie…your costume was great. I still maintain you'd make an AMAZING sexy ring girl, but your Ring Girl was creepy as hell. Spot on."

She de-tensed a bit at this little bit of validation that just hadn't ever come after that night. Score another for Jeff…he really WAS making her feel better. Still, it was only fair she share a little now.

"Jeff, you know that prank? Originally, I told the group I was planning on pulling those as part of having senioritis. Shirley immediately volunteered to help, but honestly…I had wanted to do them with you. I'm sure you can figure this out, but I should say it…I like doing things with you too. I was just worried that I'd pushed you away enough when things weren't going EXACTLY as I'd planned that whenever the slightest thing went wrong, you'd look for an excuse to back out of doing something we'd planned."

He took a breath, and sighed it out.

"No, you see, I blame that night on the same people I usually get to blame things on. Britta and Pierce."

Annie playfully swatted at his chest with that. It was typical of him to try to push the blame on the two of them.

"No, seriously! And don't smack my chest…I have sensitive nipples. (Jeff actually started to slightly flush at this, and Annie had to suppress a giggle…not well.) Anyway, between Pierce's mind games due to his own daddy issues, and Britta's attempts to 'therapize' me, and her total Brittaing of it, I'd just had enough. I already had a lot on my mind, and it all came to a head that night. I'd been thinking a lot about my dad lately…and my costume was even something of a silent nod to him. The boxing gloves I had that night…had been his, and they were starting to feel like lead weights..."

Annie knew…just KNEW her eyes were getting to Disney levels of ridiculous wideness, but she couldn't help it, this was too cute to be believed.

Jeff looked down at her for a moment, and quickly looked back up and ahead. He knew that if he spent much time looking at those eyes, he'd be screwed. He was doing his level best to open up to her tonight…but those eyes just made him feel TOO vulnerable. He sighed, and went on.

"Anyway, I knew I wanted to do a costume WITH you, and this really just kinda fit. And then you agreed, which was a shocker, considering how ring girls dress…but I wasn't about to push the issue…"

"And in retrospect, maybe you should have?" Annie started biting her lip while she looked up at him.

"Honestly, Annie…it's a nice fantasy, but I have the feeling the night would have gone VERY differently had you dressed the way I had planned…and it may not have turned out the best for either of us." Jeff pulled a now very confused Annie back in to the tighter hug they'd slightly loosened earlier so they could talk.

"C'mon…we've got a lot left to do tonight, and time's wasting."

Wait…what? She was befuddled. One minute he gives her the title of being his best friend, the next he's saying things would have gone badly if she'd dressed like the sexy ring girl that HE had wanted. What WAS his end game here?

"Wait…Jeff, we're going back out? I'm still a bit freaked out by this empty campus at night."

He just grinned back at her, "Hey, I don't let anything happen to my friends. You know that."

With a mixture of faith and apprehension, she took his offered elbow once more as they left the Dean's office.

But one last thought nagged at the back of her brain as they entered the hallway again…had she just been friendzoned?!


	4. Chapter 4

Remedial Studies in 360 Degree Revolutions: Chapter 4

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 2561  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

The door swung open, and a hand fumbled around near the doorframe until it found a light switch. The lights flickered on to reveal a room with cardboard packing boxes, and large plastic totes filled with Christmas decorations, yards of fabric for Human Being costumes, Greendale fliers and brochures…simply summed up as piles and piles of crap.

"Recognize this room?" Annie could practically hear the grin in Jeff's voice.

"Of course…but it looks a little different now. It's the storage room I set up as an 'infirmary' during Troy and Abed's pillow war."

"See? That's why you're the smart one. Your mind is like a steel trap, Edison." Annie didn't HAVE to hear the grin this time, she was looking right at it. In that moment, Annie's eyes clouded over, and she wobbled nearly imperceptibly.

Jeff used his signature grin often, at least, if he thought it could gain him an advantage, and he was in a good enough mood to grin. Unlike Troy, he didn't bother smiling when he didn't feel like smiling. In those circumstances, he had other methods of working a situation in his favor. In this case, however, he was genuinely happy to be here, with Annie, enjoying a night together. And, quite frankly, with every stop they made, Jeff felt like he and Annie were increasing their bonds at a rate faster than he'd expected, and the burden he felt lifting off of his shoulders was almost physically palpable. But when he saw Annie's eyes slightly lose focus, and her shift in balance, he immediately keyed into her change in mood.

Praying that it wouldn't be awkward, he wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her down alongside him, to sit on one of the larger, sturdier boxes. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he allowed her a few seconds of pure comfort before breaking the silence.

"Hey, what's wrong…I honestly wasn't expecting this sort of reaction from you here."

Annie started at this, and pulled back to look him dead in the eyes. "How did you know? I didn't think I really gave off much body language."

Jeff just chuckled at this. "Annie, do you REALLY pay that much attention to your own body language?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. I've had to learn to, living with Abed. If you so much as sneeze wrong, he's got a theory about what's affecting you to alter your normal behavior. He's like a brother to me, but I've also learned after a few of his…events, that I need to watch out for myself. Abed means well, but sometimes he'll try to manipulate people or events to fit what he wants. I don't like being manipulated, and I don't like seeing others manipulated."

Jeff winced slightly at the hard tone Annie's voice had taken on towards the end of that little spiel.

"Annie, I noticed your reaction because I'm an attorney by trade. Noticing people's subtleties, tics, tells, and manipulating them in the favor of my client, and ultimately, myself was my bread and butter."

"But I thought you weren't going to do that anymore? I thought you were going to play for the 'good team' now?" Annie looked at him plaintively, doe eyes threatening Jeff's resolve.

Jeff pulled away, and stood up to pace the ground several feet in front of her.98

"Annie, even if I take different clients…stop defending the prostitutes and scum bags and such, and only take on as clients elderly widows who just want to keep megacorporations from razing their house to build a new strip mall, I'm still going to have to be able to pick juries and 'work the crowd,' so to speak…it's just how law is, muffin."

The new nickname earned a quirked eyebrow and Jeff saw her gently mouth the word out of his peripheral vision. He exhaled, glad he'd said it with enough bite to it that it could be taken as affectionate or sarcastic. Judging by her reaction, that was NOT one he'd be trying again.

Annie spoke up again. "So, is that why we're here? So you can defend your job to me? Or did you have something else in mind?"

"Both…actually. I had something else in mind, but making sure you understand my work behavior going forward is an added bonus. It'd be completely tragic if one day I was talking about a case, and you realized that just because I'm going to try to take a less morally relative stance, it doesn't mean that suddenly there's a choir of angels singing in my office lobby. Lawyers are still manipulative jerks, good or bad. We're the ultimate example of the ends justifying the means, to a point, anyway."

Jeff looked down, composing himself. This one could be explosive if not handled properly. Annie could feel tension radiating off of him, and after several seconds, broke the silence.

"Ok, Jeff. Spill it. What's the big deal about this room? What are you setting straight here?"

She quietly cursed herself. She hadn't wanted to come off so snippy, especially after how nice of a moment they had just had in the dean's office previously, and then the walk through the dark halls of the school until they got to the storage room gave her a perfectly justified excuse to cling just a little bit tighter to Jeff than just the arm he'd offered her. She hadn't minded that a single bit. Regardless, as she and Jeff had realized back during their famous debate, they really WERE in sync with each other, so sometimes when he got tense or anxious, it would spill over to her. That's what was happening right now, and she hated it.

"Do you remember what they nicknamed you back during the…kerfuffle?" Jeff couldn't bring himself to call it any of the popular, serious sounding names, like "The War," "The Civil War," or "Pillowgeddon."

"The Angel of the Battlefield," Annie proudly recalled, smiling from ear to ear.

Jeff echoed her. "The Angel of the Battlefield," nodding soberly. "So, how many lives did you save during the whole conflict?"

"Well, none, of course. It wasn't a REAL war, Jeff."

"EXACTLY! You were giving kids Gatorade and lint rolling feathers off of them! I'm sure you see how ridiculous that is, even if it WAS sweet and adorable."

Annie was caught between offended and flattered. "Sweet and adorable, AND ridiculous? Want to narrow that down there, Benedict Arnold? That's right. I went there. You were playing both sides against each other…couldn't just pick a side, could you?"

Jeff turned and looked her straight in the eyes. Something that looked like anger and hurt flashed through them.

"Neither. Could. You."

"But I did it differently! I helped tend to people instead of trying to eke out an advantage for myself."

"No, Annie…you just didn't want to commit. This was the safe way for you to not have to choose which of your roommates you were going to support. Why couldn't you just pick one and go with it?"

Annie pressed her lips together into a thin line, exerting enough pressure that her lip gloss was the only color left in the area. Jeff really meant it when tonight was about honesty, and he was going to make her face it as well. Just like he always did. That was part of what Annie appreciated about him, he always made her face the hard things just as much as he made sure she appreciated the small victories. Most other people seemed to give her a free pass on her behavior a lot of the time, "Oh, Annie's young, don't worry, she'll grow out of it," or "Cut her some slack, she's young." As easy as it could make her life, Annie didn't want easy, and she saw that in pushing her to face the difficulties of life that others would allow her to skate out of, not only was he helping her grow, but Jeff was placing her on the same level as himself and everyone else. She was being made a peer, not some 'little sister' to be tolerated and patronized.

Of course, as much as she appreciated it, she also found it aggravating as hell sometimes. Like right now, when his line of questioning had her between a rock and a hard place.

"Ok then, who did you think I should pick, Ol' Saint Nick?" Jeff's expression went from solid to befuddled. He managed to mumble out a "At least you didn't go with a mattress guy this time." Annie wasn't swayed though. She wanted an answer, and the next time he glanced over her way, she just raised her eyebrows and made it obvious that she was waiting on a response from him.

"I don't have an answer for you, Annie. I didn't have one then, and I don't have one now. That's why *I* didn't pick a side either. I've been through so much with both of them, I simply couldn't decide between one or the other. That, and, again, the whole conflict was just plain stupid to begin with. So, like you, I didn't pick one of them to side with like Pierce or Shirley did. Unlike you, I actively worked to keep the conflict alive, because it kept me out of class, and that's an ok thing in my book. No one was actually getting hurt, and you and I could just text all day when we weren't actually with each other physically."

Annie took a minute and thought back to the time she and Jeff had spent together during the conflict. He'd come down and just hang out on one of the couches in her makeshift infirmary and chat with her, while she busily tended to the "wounded." She hadn't really realized at the time, but she and Britta had been the only ones to maintain neutrality in the conflict, and Jeff had played both sides against each other. Britta had been too busy 'photographing' the events, and everyone else was too split by faction, so while the conflict occurred, her only real friendly contact was with Jeff.

"You know, you were the only person I really texted through that whole little drama?" she looked up in his eyes as she admitted the hard truth to him.

"Annie, you're pretty much the only person I text NOW, other than letting people know I'm going to be late for the study group, or miss class, or what bar we're meeting at. You're the only person I text with to TALK."

Annie was caught off guard. She realized it was exactly the same situation she was in. She'd text to coordinate, but there was always a purpose to it. With Jeff…they'd coordinate (badly, if Halloween was any example,) but they'd also just shoot the breeze, and essentially enjoy each other's company. Annie had a nagging feeling that something about this was wrong though. What about…

"What about all the texting you do in class and in the study group? That isn't going to me, and it's definitely more than just coordination."

Jeff boggled at her. "Are you serious? Britta actually didn't tell everyone? Incredible!"

Annie suddenly got defensive. She didn't have any problems with Britta, but whenever the topic became something between Britta and Jeff, she started to feel oddly sick to her stomach, and started having flashbacks to the beginning of their second year.

"No, Britta hasn't said a thing. Some big secret you're only sharing with her, I suppose?"

Jeff had been staring off toward the back wall, seemingly lost in thought. About Britta, Annie guessed. Then he snapped back to attention, and looked straight down into Annie's eyes, and that certain…something she saw in his eyes oh-so-often cracked the ice she was starting to feel forming around her heart, and definitely made her knees far less sturdy than was probably safe.

"Secret? With Britta? Hell no. I think you'd be smarter than to ever entrust Britta with a secret, and I certainly hope you give ME enough credit to know I wouldn't trust her with one." He paused momentarily, and refocused back on the back wall. He took a deep breath, and started angling backwards towards a box to sit on. As he eased himself down, seemingly by reflex, he caught each of her tiny hands in his gigantic ones, and pulled her towards him. It was awkwardly intimate, but by the time he was settled, she was standing between his knees, and he was looking her directly in the eyes, right at her natural level.

"Annie. I'm texting no one at all. Britta knew because I threw it in my dad's face on Thanksgiving to show how damaged I am, and for some crazy reason, she thought it would be appropriate to show up at his house to act as a 'therapist.'"

Annie's confusion showed clearly on her face. "So, when you're typing away on your phone all day long…"

Jeff broke eye contact to grin and hang his head half-shamefully. "Yep…not going to anyone at all. My draft folder is stuffed full of texts with no recipients."

Annie stood there, rigid. She cocked her head to the side, then the other, then cocked it slightly more to the same side, and again. Jeff could only watch, and wonder, first of all, had Abed had rubbed off on Annie a bit too much, and secondly…how did her reboot her so she'd break out of this blue screen of Annie?

Finally, she broke out of whatever weird feedback loop she was in. "Jeff, WHY do you just text all day if you aren't sending them to anyone?"

"Simple. At first, it was something I did so I could ignore everyone. It was a safety mechanism. It allowed me to keep everyone at an arms length, because I was absorbed in my phone all the time. Over time though…I started actually writing my feelings and thoughts down in these quick little soundbites. I was essentially texting myself, and it was somewhat cathartic."

Annie had a coy smile spreading across her face. "You mean…almost like a journal?"

Jeff wasn't ready for the conversation to take this turn, but it looked like it was going there, whether he was ready or not. He had to improvise. "Save it, Edison. It's my turn for asking questions." Annie was caught completely flat-footed and the smile dropped right off of her face, and wide-eyed, she looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to pose the question he'd teed up.

"Do you remember what I asked you in this room back during the conflict, when you told me I should write in a journal?" Jeff knew this was a softball, and he expected Annie to knock this one out of the park.

She scoffed, not even seeming to realize that Jeff had lobbed this one at her, but just feeling relief that the question wasn't very difficult, and some pride that she knew the answer off the top of her head. "Of course I do, Jeff. You asked something snide about if I would still like you if you 'wrote in a Hello Kitty notebook.'"

Jeff knew he had her trapped. He felt the old courtroom rush of adrenaline, like he had maneuvered a witness right into the corner he wanted them, and was ready to pounce. He moved forward directly into Annie's personal space, and looked down at her.

"You remember it, but you never answered."

Annie was clearly uncomfortable. Her skin was flushing, her breathing was getting shallower and more rapid, and her eyes were as wide as Jeff had ever seen them. The only thing that worried him was his uncertainty about whether she was scared of him right now, or excited to be so close to him. He knew that for him, it was definitely the latter feeling. Even just being up close and personal with Annie like this was enough to make his pulse pound.

Annie swallowed hard, her senses were being overwhelmed by Jeff's proximity. She could feel the heat coming off of him, and could smell the faint remnants of his cologne, Macallan, and what she guessed was hair gel, or wax, or pomade… Her eyes were glued to his, and his words echoed in his ears. She was dying to reach out and kiss him like she had when she'd ditched Vaughn the night of the Tranny Dance, when she'd realized that Greendale was where she needed to be, and deep down, she knew she had the kernel of feelings for Jeff. She hadn't dared to hope for anything at that point, but then when she'd run into him…she lived in the moment. But now, in this moment, all she wanted to do was grab him, and fulfill that last sense that was missing right now, and taste him again for the first time in years. Something in his eyes warned her off though, and she knew she had to answer his question.

"Jeff, don't be silly. I'll like you no matter what. I thought we put the whole thing behind us when you did your part to fix Troy and Abed."

"Not what I asked, councilor."

Annie started almost imperceptibly, realizing that she was seeing some new Jeff she hadn't seen before. She recognized some pieces of courtroom Jeff, but he was mixing in some new elements. This one had some level of passion and intimacy she knew he wouldn't show in public. This was Jeff with his guard down, but still willing to put up a good fight. Fine. He was letting his guard down…time to go for broke.

"Well, if you really need to know, then yes. I think keeping a journal would be a good thing for you, and while I'll care for you no matter what, knowing that you think enough of me to try out some of my advice would mean the world to me. How do you like that, Jeff Winger at Law?"

He backed up very slightly, his face bursting into a full-on grin. His cocky grin, but with some predatory elements mixed in. She wasn't sure how she felt about this Jeff…he wasn't exactly tender, but damn, was he sexy! She knew that whatever trap he'd set, she'd walked right into, and steeled herself for his next salvo.

He reached up to the highest level of the bakers shelves next to them, and withdrew an expensive looking black leather notebook. Annie felt her heart drop into her stomach. He'd scored a point, but it was by listening to her! He backed away another step, opening room so he could have space to open up the notebook, and flip through it, and allow her to see. He'd filled two thirds of it, front and back. Mostly words, some doodles…she wanted to swear she saw a couple of hearts in the doodles, but he flipped through too quickly. He wasn't intending her to identify anything, just to prove that he'd listened.

Dry mouthed, she tried her best to save face. "You had to get leather? I thought Hello Kitty was the arrangement?" Internally, she cringed…and she heard that snide Annie voice echo up from the depths for the second time that night. "That was the best you could do? It'll serve you right if he just laughs in your face and walks out of here. You're never going to see him again, little girl, and it's all because you make a fool of yourself time and time again." She felt tears well up, but kept them in, and stood her ground.

Jeff knew he'd won…and played his trump card. He closed the notebook, and handed it, face up to Annie. There, on the cover, in the lower right hand corner was a small, worn Hello Kitty sticker.

"I couldn't actually bring myself to buy a Hello Kitty notebook…but I figured I could handle a sticker." He caught her eyes again, and his smile softened. He noticed a tear starting to work its way toward her cheek, and reached out to catch it. He was good at reading people, but Annie was kicking off some mixed signals, and he didn't know if these were good tears, or bad tears.

"Hey…something wrong?"

Annie let loose then. "No! I don't know. Things just got a bit tense there, and I thought you were going to yell at me, and maybe ditch me, and I'd never see you again, and it was all my fault because I'd pushed you to do something you didn't want to do! And then it turns out you did it all, and it made me so happy, but I'm still scared!" She knew she was full on crying, and making a fool of herself, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. It'd been a roller-coaster of a day, and was turning out to be even more of a night.

Jeff pulled her in close, and held her. He had a feeling that this sort of response was going to be coming from both of them tonight…quite a bit, and he knew that before the night was done, it was more than likely that Annie would have to be the one comforting HIM. He stroked her hair for a short time, and then pulled back, and reached out to tip up her chin with the side of his finger. He knew he could kiss her, and he wanted to kiss her, and he had to restrain himself from kissing her…this was more important.

He looked right in her eyes. "Thank you."

"For what? Ignoring you until you hunted me down, and then bullied you into keeping a journal?"

"No, Annie…thank you for calling me on my bullshit. And thank you for being the one person who can really push me to do things to make myself a better person. Just like texting myself…you have no idea how many problems journaling has helped me work out. And I have you to thank for it. You're the only person I know who sees the best in me, and goes out of their way to try to get me to be that person. And it's not just me…you do that with everyone. In a world as negative and cynical as the one we live in, that's a rare commodity, and it makes you a wonderful person."

Annie was stunned. She'd just been Winger speeched in a complimentary way. He almost never used his speeches to build someone up directly…just to teach lessons people could use to build themselves up. She was still raging with conflicted emotions, but she could feel deep inside, a seed of warmth and pride building at what Jeff had pointed out, because she knew it was true. She DID want to help everyone to be the best they could. Most people, including Jeff in most of his moods, called that sort of behavior naïve…but frankly, if she had the choice between being naïve and seeing the good in people, or being worldly and a cynic, she was happy with her naivety.

She knew Jeff might get angry, and she felt slightly guilty, since it may be a betrayal of trust, but she flipped the notebook open to the first page. She didn't want to read it, just wanted to see when he'd started it, assuming he dated his entries. Almost immediately, she was distracted by the first page being prefaced by a ragged edge near the spine. Someone had torn out the front page…kind of sloppily, too, which, between that, and the fact that it was HIS notebook, she assumed it was Jeff. She looked up at him cocking an eyebrow, silently asking him about the torn out page.

"What…you didn't ever see the documentary they made about the 'War?'" he said, dropping his avoidance of the more dramatic term.

"Nope. No reason to. I lived it, and it made my life more than a little uncomfortable for a period of time, since it led to my roommates feuding."

Jeff nodded in understanding. "Ok...well, my first entry was about my part in ending the war. They decided to use it in the documentary, so I ripped it out. THEN they ended up having me just do the voiceover, while they showed the footage of me going to the Dean's office for the hats, so I didn't really need to rip it out."

Annie 's eyes defocused slightly, and she nodded in understa…"Wait! What do you mean you went to the Dean's office for the hats?!"

Jeff gave her the look that always made her feel like he was assuming she was in the slow class "I'm not sure how much more simply to put that…I gave Troy and Abed pretend 'magical friendship hats' in the Dean's office…I thought you knew that?"

"Right, and they pretended to take them off and discard them. You told me that while you lounged and I fed kids Gatorade…"

"So, obviously, I had to go back to the Dean's office to get them back to end the whole thing, right?"

Annie's confused expression gave way to a soft, affectionate smile. "I figured you just stepped out long enough to give everyone the illusion you went back for them. You really went all the way back?"

Jeff smiled at the sound of her pleased chuckle. He loved making Annie happy. Really, really loved it. "You seriously never watched it? You should…but, yeah, I went back to the Dean's office, and got the 'hats' from where I remembered them tossing them. I even spent the effort to undent and dust them off. I figured I owed it to them, and to you, to do it right, whether anyone saw it or not."

Annie couldn't help just staring at him wordlessly.

"Ok…they're good tears this time, right?" She only nodded at him, and rushed straight at him. He had to think quickly to intercept, and pull her into a hug…narrowly avoiding her kissing him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, he pulled his head up, and her head into his chest, trying to make it seem like a hug, and not a kiss avoidance. As hard as it was…he wasn't ready for that yet. He still had more work to do.

He held her for several minutes, just enjoying having her in his arms. It felt so right, and he knew that if he called it good for the rest of the evening, and just told her they were done with what he'd called her down for, he could probably spend the rest of the night enjoying himself more than he ever had before…but Jeff was learning to be less short-sighted, and was trying to make sure the rest of his life was enjoyable, not just one night. So, eventually, he broke away, and looked down into her eyes, pressing his forehead against hers long enough to say "So…there you have it. I'm trying to be less of a manipulative bastard, and more of a good person…but I'll fail from time to time. When I do, I need YOU there to call me on it, and once you finally get through my thick skull, I'll do what I need to do to make it right, ok?"

Annie couldn't speak…she was giddy, even though she'd worried that Jeff would notice she'd been angling to kiss him, and felt a bit foolish. Even with that, it made her warm inside realizing that Jeff was an even better man than she'd ever known before…and that he credited her with part of making him that way. She just nodded up at him, smiling from ear to ear as she looked at him through tear-blurred eyes.

"C'mon, sweetness…we're done in here. We've got more ghosts to visit before the night is over and we can go see Tiny Tim and the Cratchits."

Sweetness? What was up with him and his penchant for new nicknames for her tonight?


	5. Chapter 5

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 4446  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

He had no idea where the plan had gone wrong. He had been close to completely in control since she'd walked into the study room doors tonight, and he'd started taking her around on his epic tour of dredging up the ghosts of their shared past, in order to expunge them once and for all, so he could finally move forward.

Then, suddenly, she said "I think I see the theme for tonight ("I DID explain it…a couple of times, Annie.") and I want to ask if you'll indulge me for a few minutes now, if it please the court."

He quirked a grin at her, and shrugged. When she put it like that, what choice did he really have?

"I'll allow it."

At that, she offered him her hand, which he took after only the slightest hesitation. He'd long tried to avoid contact this familiar with Annie, but already tonight they'd broken that particular barrier down multiple times, and quite frankly, it was really nice to just hold hands with her. He hadn't ever really gone through the hand-holding stage growing up, preferring to skip to more physical endeavors with his "romantic" conquests. Only, instead of romantic, they were really more like "get freaky in the back seat, because I'm Jeff Winger, and you know I'm amazing" encounters. Romance was an afterthought once he learned how to use his personality to attract women.

So, the truth was, while he had exponentially more experience than Annie when it came to…physical intimacy, he probably had somewhere in the same range as her when it came to actual romance, and she had repeated viewings of Mark Ruffalo movies on her side. The only Mark Ruffalo movie Jeff could remember watching had him spending half his screen time as a green CGI monster…which suited him just fine.

So now, as they'd been strolling slowly thought the darkened halls of Greendale Community College, and a simple hand holding had, without comment, gone from loose, to a full-on grasp, to entwined fingers, Jeff had boggled slightly, but kept quiet. He wasn't going to complain, and risk ruining it, like the old high-school concept of "jinxing" something by mentioning it. If you'd asked him to make a lifetime choice right then and there, between holding hands with Annie, or his normal, detached physical escapades with various random women…he'd take the hand-holding. It may not be all he wanted, but if it was all he could get, he'd be happy with it…Annie was something special. So, while she led him to wherever it was she wanted to take him, he just enjoyed the sensation of the warmth of her tiny hand in his large one, and the way the two of them traded turns taking exploratory swipes and caresses with their thumbs, taking their time getting to know the facets of the other's hand…at least, as far as their thumb could reach while their fingers were still knit together. Beyond that immediate sensation, Jeff didn't have a single thought in his mind.

* * *

Annie hoped she was doing this right. She was fairly sure she understood what Jeff was trying to accomplish tonight, even if she didn't feel comfortable predicting his end goal for the evening…but he was obviously going through some of the events that had created some level of negative emotions between her and him, whether it was actual hurt, simple awkwardness, or just general unhappiness. It really WAS kind of touching that he thought enough of her to put all this effort into it, and that he was willing to take his evening to spend with her doing it, when he'd just graduated. She's always felt a special connection with Jeff, even before she was attracted to him…there was just so much alike about them, even if it wasn't obvious to everyone. They were both ambitious; Jeff just tried to disguise it with laziness. He wanted to succeed, he just didn't want to work hard at it, partly due to the fact that he'd found ways around it using his natural talents. They both cared deeply about their friends; it just took him longer to admit that he had friends…and even beyond relatively superficial attributes like these, they just clicked on so many levels. Annie tried to think about what life would have been like had she succeeded in pursuing Troy, and was left grimacing to herself. Troy was good looking, of course, and one of the nicest and most kind-hearted guys she'd met, but since really getting to know him, she'd realized what she'd always known deep down…her roommate was more than slightly dense. If she had ended up with Troy, there wouldn't be a life of quiet evening conversation, unless she wanted to talk about Inspector Spacetime, which, while fun on occasion, wasn't enough to keep her intellectually stimulated on a daily basis.

On the other hand, when she and Jeff had used the road trip to InspectiCon as an impetus to piggy back a ski trip for two, she had obviously opted to ride with Jeff, while Troy and Abed drove separately (Jeff refused to entertain the idea of everyone driving together, under the argument that they wouldn't have enough room for everyone plus their luggage…looking back, Annie strongly suspected it was in case he wanted to bail early, like he did.) The entire ride had been filled with easy conversation, with no awkwardness between them. Jeff may avoid studying like she did, and she may be younger and a little less street-wise, but neither one of them had any difficulty making themselves understood. If the other didn't get something that was being said, explanations were short and minimal, with no misunderstanding. Annie cringed at the idea of having to explain malapropisms to Troy…"So, wait…is that a fancy propeller? Or is it like a prop in a play? Or does it prop something up? Or is it ALL of them? That'd be awesome, even if I don't know how it'd work." And then Abed would come in and make some reference to Blorgons, and he and Troy would be off in their own little world again. But on the road trip, she and Jeff had randomly had the topic come up, and spent about ten minutes riffing on it, using their own terrible malapropisms and laughing so hard that Annie started to worry about Jeff's driving. It was nice seeing him let loose and just be happy…something she didn't get to see that often, because he'd gotten stuck unwittingly with the position of the "leader" of their group, which, while she knew he secretly loved it, it weighed on him as well. He felt responsible for their little family, and it meant that he was rarely really, completely relaxed, but on that car ride, it was just him and her, and the rest of the world was dead to them. They could have long looks into each other's eyes (at stop lights…or long stretches of empty highway, though those weren't long, lingering looks so much as extended glances) without worrying about Shirley grumbling under her breath about "googly eyes" or "horny toads,"or Abed analyzing every little thing they did in relation to each other, and coming up with the most bizarre, and frankly, insulting conclusions he could…they could just relax and enjoy each other's company.

Her reverie made her continue down the line of thought regarding her other roommate. Abed was an unusual circumstance. On one hand, she loved him like a brother, like Troy. On the other hand, she'd made out with him, and remembered being extremely attracted to him at times…even though he didn't have the raw physical magnetism of Jeff, when he would play certain roles, it was like catnip to her. When they'd fought in Second Paintball, she'd entertained the possibility of something happening between them…she was completely over Troy, and she was tired of Jeff blowing her off, and giving excuse after excuse about his territoriality without being willing to actually date her. Then, when he'd taken off his "Han" persona, and very dispassionately re-explained that it really WAS all just a role to him, she knew nothing beyond friendship would ever be possible between them, because if they got together, she couldn't expect him to constantly pretend to be someone he wasn't, and she wasn't attracted to him on that level unless he was…

Point was, there would never be anything between them beyond very good friendship. He and Troy really WERE like the brothers she never had, and even though she was the youngest in the study group, they were definitely the little brothers. She felt responsible to watch out for them, and make sure their imaginations and exploits didn't end up running away with their common sense and causing real problems.

She still felt some level of responsibility for helping to cause Abed's breakdown when she pushed Troy and Britta into going to lunch together, and while she was sad that things hadn't worked out between the two of them, she didn't regret doing it. Troy and Abed's friendship was incredible, but they both needed a little less co-dependency on each other…and Abed's reaction that day still upset her. His pretending to be a warped version of Jeff to confront her with her own feelings and make her feel guilty about the desire to be with him, and by extension, the idea of assisting Troy and Britta in coming together smacked of manipulation and an undercurrent of self-martyrdom. Thinking about it would always raise Annie's tension levels until she reminded herself that like her, Abed really hadn't had any friends before the study group, and he certainly hadn't ever had a friend like Troy before…so just maybe he didn't really have the self-coping mechanisms to deal with what he felt was having something very important taken away from him.

Regardless, it gave Annie a chance to take a step back and look at her feelings for Jeff. She had denied being in love with him in the Dreamatorium, and she knew that was the right thing to do, because it was the truth. She loved him, sure, but she loved all the members of the study group. Her feelings for Jeff might go a bit deeper (a lot deeper, if she was being honest with herself,) but she wasn't "in love" with him, and she knew that.

Not yet, anyway.

She recognized that what she felt for him was the love, affection, and attraction that could be the foundation for being IN love with him. She found him physically VERY attractive, and she loved just spending time with him, and talking with him, and texting him. He made her want to grow up quicker, and improve herself more, and she took great pride in seeing how he reacted to her pushing him to be better too. She just liked the way she felt about herself (most of the time) when she was around him. She liked herself better under his influence.

In short…she wasn't in love with him, and she knew it…but she was right on the edge, and she knew that too. One little step, and it was all over for her, she'd be over the cliff into "completely-crazy-in-love town."

The question, like always, was if she'd ever get the signal to actually take that step, and stop getting signals to take steps back. He was, and always had been, a very confusing man.

"Annie..." she stopped and turned to him. They'd been walking in complete silence, and she'd been on autopilot. She suddenly realized that their fingers were intertwined. She remembered taking his hand to guide him, but she only had a vague recollection of the transition to the far more intimate position. She was fairly sure that it was a mutual initiation though, with each of them doing a little probing to see if the other would be receptive, so she was safe there.

But when had she started using her thumb to caress his hand? She caught herself doing it and felt the edges of her vision starting to grey.

_"Don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out"_ ran through her mind over and over.

He hadn't objected thus far, and…hey, he was doing it too! Once Annie realized that the hand-fondling wasn't limited to her, her tension ratcheted back down significantly, but the thread of passing out remained…now for a DIFFERENT reason.

She was holding hands, really, romantically holding hands with Jeff Winger. Holy shit.

"Annie!"

"Hmmm?" She tried to appear nonchalant, and failed completely.

"I was going to ask if you're lost…but now I just want to ask if you're ok. You look, well…like you're about to faint."

"Haha! Everything's fine, Jeff! No worries here!" Her words sounded flat and forced to her own ears, and Jeff gave her one of the looks that she'd long thought of as his "Never lie to a liar" looks. Pierce was the first one to point them out to her, but he had used far cruder language to describe them. She had to cover her metaphorical ass quick, or he'd weasel his way past her defenses. He always could, and he knew it.

"Jeff," she started, far more calmly and in control than before, "I thought you trusted me?"

"I do…most of the time, but not only do you seem distracted, but today was eventful and tonight is hardly ordinary. You HATE anything unplanned…"

Well, he certainly had HER number, didn't he?

"Look, I'm having a lot of fun with what's going on tonight, good or bad. I decided I wanted to jump in and take charge for a few minutes. Can you just work with me here?" She punctuated this question with a wide eyed look up into his eyes that she knew he could see perfectly fine, even with the limited light of the darkened hallways, and coupled it with a little sway in a semi-circle back and forth.

Bam. She had him. As soon as he made eye contact and focused on her, she could visibly see him melt, and he nodded his assent. Then, before he could react, she swiftly stood on her toes, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It wasn't really what she wanted, but she figured it would have to be good enough for now.

And his reaction was priceless. For a man who was notorious for one-night stands and random hookups, he could certainly get caught off guard by one little cheek kiss. For a minute, Annie considered that maybe all of his stories were just that…bravado and tall tales, a sexual raconteur. As quickly as that thought came, she dismissed it. She had seen Jeff at work, and women fell all over him when he turned on the charm. He had charmed the entire study group, herself and Shirley included from the early days of their meeting. He had gotten Pierce's stepdaughter to basically throw herself at him within moments of meeting him, or the Dean's new "officey things" girl…Jeff didn't need to make things up. He had a magnetism that she knew all too well.

She knew it, because she'd been drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. But instead of burning her, it warmed her. It reminded her of Britta's struggle to keep from throwing herself at Blade, her old carnie boyfriend, and how she and Shirley had warned Annie that someday, there would be a man she just 'couldn't get out of her system.' For Britta, it was Blade. For Shirley, it was Andre. Now, Blade wasn't a bad guy…he just had no shame. He wasn't bad or good, but he certainly wasn't good FOR Britta. Andre on the other hand, was a very good man, who'd done some dumb stuff that he grew to regret doing. Shirley got lucky with her man that she couldn't get over, and she had also grown in her forcing herself to forgive him. Now Annie had to wonder…was Jeff her 'Blade?' It had negative connotations, but it seemed like no matter what happened, she just kept wanting him. She'd back off at times, but then again, Britta hardly travelled with Blade's carnival, so maybe it was the same thing.

Annie felt that the real difference had to be that Jeff wasn't bad for her. He wasn't hurting her. Much, anyway. He was a normal guy and did selfish things sometimes, but it wasn't like he was cheating on her…even though they weren't together. In fact, she was fairly certain that since she had been growing more close to him, he'd stopped dating altogether. They talked and texted enough that if he was, it was in extremely narrow time-frames. He never really talked about conquests or dates anymore, and he just didn't seem interested. It embarrassed Annie a bit to admit it to herself, but between that, and the things they did with each other, it almost felt like they were dating, and it certainly helped fuel some of her daydream scenarios.

Regardless of if it was real or not…she chose to relish the idea of it. Jeff giving her all the attention he would normally be spreading around to a half-dozen girls was the sort of thing that made her feel special. And not to mention the jealous looks she'd get from girls passing by as he'd do his mid-day 'wardrobe adjustment' i.e. changing his shirt in front of her at…

His locker.

They'd finally reached it. Annie had a feeling in her daydreaming, they'd taken a few wrong turns. Still, given the hand-holding, she was quite content.

"Ok…my old locker. Is this the big destination?"

"Yes, Jeff, in fact it is. Now, if you don't mind…I believe this is MY time."

He released her hand, gave her an appraising look, and appeared to conclude that he was impressed, nodding at her. He stepped back, and opened his hands, palm up, as if to concede the floor to her. She couldn't help but smile at him. This was his night, and he was indulging her and having fun with it, and it meant everything to her.

"So, yes, as you've noticed, this was your locker until you graduated earlier today"

"Yesterday, now." He interrupted, noticing it was now after midnight.

"Jeff! Irrelevant!"

"Sustained! Sheesh…"

"Now, if you're finished, do you remember the day you discovered we had lockers, and we found out which was assigned to you?"

"Of course…it was the day the pillow fight started."

"Right. Now, if I've interpreted things correctly, you're going backwards through these experiences we're having together?"

Jeff was visibly caught off guard, rocking backwards on his heels slightly. "Wow, I guess I'm more transparent than I thought."

Annie gave him a bit of a hurt smirk, "OR, it could just be that I'm smart and observant, Jeff?"

He caught that, and lobbed it back easily "That you are…and that means I'm not that transparent. Thank you."

She just rolled her eyes and continued. "Well, you remember the hate note from Kim?"

"Who?" Jeff looked confused.

"Jeff, seriously? You don't remember Kim and the note he left you?"

Jeff just scoffed. "HE left? Kim? Girl's name."

"If you're done channeling Pierce…we can continue, and you might want to have your memory looked into…"

Jeff looked suitably mortified, "That was a low blow, by the way." He mumbled.

Annie didn't care, she had a purpose here.

"Jeff, you were left a note by someone we both assumed was a girl ("For obvious reasons…") you'd used and then dropped once you'd gotten bored. You were then told that she was dead, but it was the guy who turned out actually WAS Kim, and who was just hurt that you'd forgotten him…again."

Jeff had an expression on his face that made it clear he was straining to remember, and coming up blank. Annie just continued.

"I pushed you into writing an apology, ostensibly 'for the sisterhood,' of all the girls you'd used and tossed aside, which I counted myself as part of." Annie paused for a minute, and saw genuine hurt cross Jeff's face, but she wasn't ready to interpret the meaning.

"I lied, Jeff."

She gave him a second for that to sink in, and watched his defenses immediately snap back into place. She had to break eye contact before she launched into the next piece.

"I wasn't having you do it for all those girls…*I* was the only one I was concerned about an apology for. You'd hurt me so many times, and I'd managed to bury it deep down, and ignore it to a degree, but you and I just run so hot and cold that it kept getting my hopes up, and then let down again, and it hurt."

Annie looked back up at Jeff, and noticed a single tear forming in his right eye. Damn, this was tough, but she had to deliver this…

"The fact of the matter is…since Vaughn and I broke up, I haven't been dating. I've gone on a couple of dates…but like I mentioned at…the pre-riot wake, I had to pay for all of them. It had gotten to the point of just being silly, and frankly, I was used to not dating, and I was holding out hopes for you. You kept giving me signals that made me think something may happen someday, and then it kept never happening."

Jeff now had a couple of tears running unashamedly down his cheeks, and Annie could feel the same on hers. They weren't sobbing, by any means…Annie's voice wasn't even raised, but both of them were releasing some very raw emotions, and Annie knew she had to finish up before she completely lost it.

"Jeff…sooner or later I'm going to have to get over you. I realized that I'm not in love with you already, but I can't seem to get past you. I haven't wanted anyone but you in the longest time, and I can't be alone forever. I guess I wanted to apologize for manipulating you to get something I wanted, under the pretense of having you do it for someone else…but I also needed to let you know that I can't wait and hope for the rest of my life. I'm not Penelope, spinning flax and waiting for Odysseus to come home…and yes, I know you know Homer's Odyssey. I just need to prepare you now, I guess. We'll always be friends…I'm never going to leave you in that regard, but eventually, I'll have to find someone that I can be with on the next level."

Annie stepped back, and dropped her gaze. She didn't know if this was going to bring a sudden end to their night or not, but she was certainly full of mixed emotions…she was sad that she had to say something so hard, and cruel-feeling, but she was relieved she'd gotten it out.

She felt a hand under her chin, tipping her head up until their eyes were locked again. His thumb came up, and brushed the tears from her eyes and her face, and he mouthed the words "I'm sorry."

All she could do was nod, and smile. She could feel the sincerity from the amount of pain he'd felt knowing he'd caused her pain. As always…they were in sync. She reached out, and pulled him in to her. She needed to feel him against her, and suspected he needed the same from her. As they came into contact, he deftly rotated their position so his back was to his locker, and her back was to him, and they both sank to the ground, sitting directly on the hard floor, with his arms wrapped around her midsection. He moved in, and gave her a quick, chaste cheek kiss that mirrored hers from earlier.

With that single, gentle expression of his affection, something inside Annie snapped.

"Jeff…I think I lied again. I'll keep spinning until you're ready."

"Annie…don't make promises you can't keep." He whispered. "Just know that I'm really, really sorry for all the times I've hurt you. I'd like to say I'll never do it again, but we both know I'm just going to keep doing it, I'm only human, and humans hurt each other. The silver lining is, I'm going to do my best not to hurt you more than anyone else would, and less if possible. Deal?"

Annie nodded, as always, unsure what to make of this enigmatic statement.

"Jeff…I really do lo" his finger pressed to her lips, keeping her from finishing. "Not yet. Don't say anything you may regret later. I'm not asking you to wait forever before you start dating other guys, or saying whatever you were going to say…just give me this one last night, ok? Then I promise you can say anything you want, and make any decisions you want. Fair?"

Annie just nodded and leaned back in his arms.

"I'm watching the time…we'll take 10 minutes here, and no more. I'm already going to be paying for this tomorrow…"

Annie didn't know what he meant, and didn't really care. She was enjoying being held. But still, she had to know. "Why not just set an alarm on your phone?"

"I didn't bring it. I didn't want any interruptions tonight."

Jeff without his phone…he'd told her to leave hers in her car, but she'd never expected he wouldn't bring his. This was big news…but it could wait. She had under 10 minutes left to enjoy this. She strained her neck to place another kiss on his cheek, and in the moonlight streaming in through the windows, noticed that he blushed after she did so…and she took a quiet pride in being able to make Jeff blush.

No one else made her feel this way. Not Vaughn, not Troy, not Rich or Abed…no one else made her feel this important, and safe, and loved. They all made her feel good, but not at this level. No one else made her feel as meaningful as he did…where it was obvious how he would try to change and improve for her.

Annie thought back mere moments to the sudden realization she'd had just prior to telling him she'd wait for him, and she realized that the catharsis she'd needed from this spot had been found. The ghosts of the Dreamatorium incident were dispelled, and her up and down hopes from years of mixed signals were quelled. Maybe he'd never actually be hers, and she'd have to learn to live with that…she figured what she had might be enough.

After all, she loved him.

A/N: I'm not thrilled with this chapter, and it actually underwent an emergency rewrite. Annie can be a pain in the ass to write under certain circumstances...like, ones without much dialogue, because I envision her getting VERY introspective, which leads to a lot of large paragraphs of Anniethought. It also got angsty-er than I intended...but I think there's a lot of hurt on both sides here, and even some of these same things will need to be revisited, and attacked from other angles down the road. That's why the mixed signals issue is only quelled...but the Dreamatorium issue is dead and gone. I don't want to touch that one again...so it's handled.

Really, I just wanted to take a break from Jeff, and get Annie's perspective on how everything was going with all of these shenanigans and goings-on. I think she'll have to feature centrally every 3-4 chapters as sort of a release valve...keep her from being relegated to a supporting character in a story that is very much as much hers as it is Jeff's...it's just that he's the one who planned it, so it's tougher to put her as the lead. There were a few other elements that I was iffy on including, but ultimately, I'm glad I did. These include Annie thinking of Jeff as 'her Blade,' which I'm only ok with under the blanket idea that being her Blade doesn't mean it's an unhealthy obsession...just that she knows she wants him, and can't seem to get past him, but has realized that she hasn't really been given a good reason (carnie loser, cheating) to do so either... The other is Annie's realization that she doesn't love Jeff, which is really from Season 3's VSA...then her reversal here. I figured by laying down the groundwork of how close she was to being in love, in a later chapter, I could have that step be taken...but when I was writing this, it just felt right to advance to that step now. My apologizes to anyone who doesn't feel I'm treating Annie appropriately. I am not intending to portray her as having a schoolgirl crush AGAIN, but rather, as someone who recognizes that a strong and healthy relationship is RIGHT there...and she wants it, badly, because she knows it would better both parties.

Feedback is welcome here, or on my tumblr. .com


	6. Chapter 6

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 4396  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

"That's it, Edison…10 minutes are up. Let's get moving." Jeff ran his hands down Annie's arms, sparking a sharp inhalation of breath, and bringing her head, previously leaning back onto his chest, nestled just underneath his chin, a ray of moonlight directly striking her face, forward into an upright position.

"You fall asleep or something?" Jeff worried…he knew it was late, but they weren't close to done with his plans…he didn't want to go through all the set up just to have her falter at the finish line.

"Not even close, Winger. Just relaxing." It was the truth, too. She wasn't remotely sleepy, but 10 minutes of just being held by Jeff in the dark proved too tempting to do anything but enjoy the sensations running over her senses. His smell, his warmth, the memory of his stubble on her lips as she'd kissed his cheek, the way he made her feel safe, no matter what else happened…there was pretty much zero chance she wasn't going to make the most of every second she was allowed. But now, even though he'd indulged her on this little side trip, it was time for her to yield to him again, and let him take charge.

Besides, she was excited to see what happened next. Thus far, Annie was counting pretty much everything that happened in the positive column. On one hand, she worried that the other shoe would drop soon enough, and she'd have to pay the piper…and at least three other metaphors she was desperately trying to mix in there. On the other hand, she didn't want to psych herself out of just enjoying it. Maybe for one of the first times in her life, her luck had changed, and she might actually get something wonderful happening to her for no real reason.

She liked that idea, and was willing to run with it until proven otherwise.

* * *

How did she do this? Jeff flat out didn't understand how she could be so happy when he'd unveiled so many unpleasant and unattractive truths about himself. Shouldn't she be recoiling when she learned that there was so much about him she didn't know, or flat out misunderstood?

Regardless, he'd started this, and he was going to see it through. No matter how much it scared him that he might lose her he had to go through with this. If he lost her, he'd likely lose everyone, since the fact of the matter was Annie was far more likable than him at her core. Jeff may have charm, but Annie was genuinely wonderful, and by now, their group had to see the truth behind each of them. Besides that, she was still going to see all of them on a daily basis at school, besides him, and Pierce. And Jeff knew that Pierce would choose Annie over him 8 times out of 10. At least the old man would opt for a "sausage fest" if Jeff wanted to go to the barber sometimes…

He was resolute though. Even if everything she learned tonight made her hate him, she'd learn it all eventually. Best to rip that bandage off now. Before, he'd always had school to keep them together, but now…go big or go home.

He'd already given her the notice to get up and get moving, and she'd sat up, but leaned back against him again within a relatively short amount of time. He growled at her, "C'mon, Annie…we've got to move, or we'll never get done." She let out a sound that Jeff was reluctant to classify as a whine, moan, or whimper, as she tipped her head back and nuzzled his earlobe with her nose before slowly extracting herself from his lap, and standing with a languid stretch.

God. Damn. Since when was she so affectionate? This wasn't like public Annie at all. Jeff was starting to get the feeling that Annie-with-just-Jeff was turning out to be somewhat of a different beast than Annie-with-the-study-group, or Annie-texting-Jeff, or even Annie-with-just-Jeff-and-tons-of-other-random-peop le-in-a-hotel-bar. They'd even shared a long car ride alone, but Troy and Abed were right in front of them, and had an obnoxious habit of switching lanes, slowing down, and pulling up alongside them, doing the horn-blowing motion, usually reserved for drivers of 18-wheelers. Then they'd pull back ahead of them, Troy laughing uproariously, and Abed with his typical inscrutable expression. This was the first time Jeff could remember they were really, truly alone, with no phones, no chance someone else was going to burst in at any time. Even if there had been other times, both of them were increasingly growing more comfortable with expressions of affection towards each other, both physical and verbal…so maybe Annie's behavior wasn't so unusual, but he sure wasn't used to it, by any means.

"Jeff!"

He snapped out of his self-absorption to see the hand she held out to him on the ground. "Shouldn't I be the one offering to help YOU up here?" he smirked at her, as he took her hand, and felt her at least try to assist pulling his mass up off the floor. He'd have to give her an A for effort, anyway.

"Yeah, but this way I can make sure we go back to the way we were on the way here" she said, as she shifted her hand in his grip now that he was standing, and re-laced their fingers together. "If I left it up to you, you might conveniently forget about doing this…" she tossed him one of her signature coy grins that he'd only ever seen her give to him…and he'd watched to see if anyone else ever got them.

Well, she wasn't shy about wanting to hold hands with him again. That had to be a good sign, right? Jeff decided he'd see if she was still in a hand-holding mood after this next stop, and after stretching (and dragging Annie to her toes as he stretched his arms upward, and she strained, unwilling to relinquish his hand,) he began to walk.

They passed through the halls towards a door outside, and once they reached it, Jeff stopped, and pulled an unfamiliar keyring out of his pocket, and reaching out, unlocked the door.

"Jeff…I guess I hadn't even thought about it before, but where did you get keys to the school?"

He grinned, "Greendale takes care of its distinguished alumni."

She wasn't sure what to make of that…did he and Pierce get campus keys when they graduated? After all, if he was considered a distinguished alumni (and since he was already a lawyer, she could definitely see that being possible) than Pierce certainly was…then again, this WAS the school that built a Luis Guzman statue, a key was entirely believable.

Jeff opened the door, and ushered her out, allowing the door to close behind them. They stepped out into the night, with the full moon high in the air, allowing for high visibility and dramatic shadows from the buildings and trees. A light wind caused rustling in the leaves, also causing the shadows to shift. Neither Jeff nor Annie took notice of anything unusual in the movement…after all, it was just another quiet spring night. Neither one caught the subtle shift in the dark shapes that couldn't be accounted for by the wind through the trees.

They walked mostly in silence, hands clasped tight together. The only disturbance came when Jeff asked Annie if she was warm enough, which came as a relief to Jeff when she told him that it was…since he wasn't wearing a jacket. Besides, the last time he loaned her a jacket, he came off as a bit of an asshole, and he had already kicked himself after the fact in that particular instance. He didn't apologize for his love of clothes…but he cursed the fact that he was stupid enough to wear something that he was worried about when he took Annie to a dance. Even if he hadn't offered it, and she hadn't been cold, there was always the chance of something else happening to it. However, he HAD offered it, and she had been cold and accepted it…and then he proceeded to be the world's biggest idiot when he could have been showing Annie how much he cared about her.

Jeff knew that deep down, part of that was probably his subconscious aversion to caring about others. He'd been hurt enough in his life that he tried to shut people out. That's why he pursued a career where he couldn't care about anyone but himself. He'd do the best for his client, whether they were good or bad. Morality all centered around him, and whoever was paying him.

That sort of thought enabled his morally relativistic behavior that allowed him to be "faster than bacteria" with women, and only have friends who shared this same viewpoint, and cheat his way to the top by taking the easy path. Then he got caught…and Greendale happened, and everything changed. He used to be the one-night stand king, and he kept it up for a while, even had a completely non-emotional fuck buddy in Britta…but even that eventually gave way, and Jeff had been celibate for an astounding amount of time, especially for a man-whore like himself. Mindless sex with random women had just gotten boring. So, he, who used to measure the time it took to conquer any given woman in a matter of hours, was now on a 4 year clock with Annie Edison. Granted, he hadn't really been pursuing her for most of that time, but he had an interest in her for most of it, whether he had admitted it previously or not. His former friends had all abandoned him as soon as he was caught, making only token efforts, like when he ran into Alan at school, and Jeff remembered Alan's ulterior motive, and wondered if Alan would have done anything friendly at all if he didn't think he'd get anything out of it. Alan didn't matter though, because while he'd lost his old "friends" he had new, devoted friends who had proven themselves time and again, in the most arduous circumstances. There was a good reason he considered them family. Finally…he'd cheated his way to being a lawyer in the first place, but now he'd actually earned it. Granted, he avoided hard work as much as possible, but no one could deny that he was legitimate now.

By this point, they were rounding the side of the cafeteria (or 'cafetorium' as Dean Pelton insisted on referring to it, even though the gymnasium across campus was used as an auditorium as often as the cafeteria was,) and Jeff spied their destination. He quickened his pace and led Annie by the hand to the table right outside the lounge section of the cafeteria building. He took a seat at the corner of one of the benches, making it clear Annie should join him. She released his hand and sat on the corner of the bench closest to him. She looked at him across the small portion of table between them, and allowed a big, closed lip grin to spread across her face. At a picnic…ish table, late at night, tons of moonlight. If he was Mark Ruffalo, she'd almost feel like this was one of her romantic comedies. But he wasn't. He was Jeff. Which to her, was even better. She was nearly tempted to start twirling her hair as she drank in the sight of him in the cold light, but thought better of it.

"Ok, Jeff…what's so special about this table?"

Jeff cleared his throat, and launched directly into it. He was really in it now. This stop held the potential to be make or break.

"Well, Annie. As you know, when Shirley remarried Andre, she asked me to give a speech. I wasn't doing a great job at it. Turns out I have a lot of unresolved issues when it comes to marriage, romance, and families…and I ended up doing some pretty dumb stuff that day, as I'm sure you can remember."

Annie was taken slightly aback. The only thing she could remember Jeff doing that she thought was actually dumb was nearly marrying Britta. "Jeff…what are you talking about?" She glanced over his left hand to see if there was a ring she hadn't noticed, somehow. "Did you and Britta end up…getting…y'know, married?"

She didn't expect his laugh to be so loud. He looked her directly in the eyes and said "Hell. No." Annie visibly relaxed.

"Britta and I just get that dumb competitive thing going…especially when we get a little drunk. We've actually had talks about it in more lucid, non-competitive times, and we think it might just be a little bit of our self-loathing coming out, and making us lash out…and when we get together, we just egg each other on and feed off of each other. We both know neither one of us can really hurt the other with it, so it's safe to metaphorically pull hair and scratch at eyeballs. We're like punching bags for one another. It's not healthy, but it's a release valve."

Annie frowned at that idea. "I kinda get the punching bag thing, but Jeff Winger, self-loathing?"

Jeff gave Annie a sad smirk. "Now, don't get me wrong, Annie…you and I both know I'm incredible, but even I don't like things about myself. It's just that there's far more things I know about me that make me awesome than things I don't like."

This was all true…what he didn't offer to Annie was the fact that while he knew he was an amazing guy, attractive, self-possessed, intelligent, charming…he could go on and on for hours, but this wasn't the time. While he was all of these things, and he knew the majority of women would be lucky to get his attention, he also knew two critical truths that hurt his self-esteem badly.

First, while he was great, Annie was better.

Second, Annie was so much better than him, that he didn't deserve her. Even after all this time, all he could worry about was how much he could damage her. Ruin her. That wasn't fair for him to do, and it was part of the selfishness that 'Old Jeff' would have engaged in without a second though. Now, however, he had to consider on one hand that maybe he wasn't giving Annie enough credit for her strength. After all she'd overcome on her own, maybe she could handle keeping him from destroying the magic that made her who she was. On the other hand…did someone as wonderful as Annie deserve being exposed to that sort of risk, when she'd already undergone enough, or should she be shielded from it, and Jeff's selfishness contained?

For now, Jeff had sworn to be honest, and let the cards fall where they may. May the Lord that he may or may not believe in have mercy upon the soul he wasn't sure existed or not…

He took a deep breath. Time to face the music. "Annie…you've known for a very long time that I've been opposed to marriage, opposed to long-term commitments, and opposed to generally letting anyone get too close to me, right?" Annie simply nodded her confirmation, and Jeff continued. "I'm not like Britta…I'm not out protesting marriages or anything. If someone else wants to go for it, I may have a choice remark or two, but ultimately, I'll support them like I did Shirley. For me though? It just hasn't been my thing."

Annie had never been more riveted to what Jeff was saying before. This was definitely time for "serious issues."

"Well, my therapist and I have been talking, and we've come to the obvious conclusion, which you may have already guessed from the speech I ended up giving for Shirley's wedding, since you shot down my Webster thing, and I'd had a few scotches…my commitment issues are likely based on the fact that my father leaving at such an early age made me doubt commitment and relationships, and feel unsafe about them."

Jeff was surprising himself by tearing up. He was being honest with a woman he had incredibly deep feelings for on a level he wasn't normally comfortable with. It was an unusual situation for him to be in. These were emotions that 99% of the time, he didn't even realize he had, and here he was spilling them to the one person he should probably be hiding them from the most…the one person who they'd likely drive away the quickest, and who he wanted driven away the least.

Still, she deserved to see how absolutely messed up he was. If she didn't see it now, it'd just be more painful whenever she finally came to realize it.

"Anyway, Annie…turns out that just maybe, 'nut up and die alone' isn't the best strategy…or maybe even the one I really want. I don't know if I'm ever going to want to get married, or even serious with anyone for a really, really long-term thing, but I know I'm not ruling it out entirely anymore. It isn't something I'm going to actively seek out, but if I meet the right woman, then I'm going to go directly against my own old advice. I'm going to nut up and go for it."

Annie smiled at him, doe-eyed, and not free of tears herself. They weren't tracking down her cheeks like they were with his, but they weren't far off.

"Jeff, what about kids? Do you want to be a dad someday if you ever met this supposed 'right woman?'"

Jeff tried to force himself to meet her eyes, but couldn't. "Yeah, Annie…if the girl I end up with wanted kids, it's certainly something she and I could discuss. If she doesn't want them, I wouldn't push it, but after having met my dad…after spending some time with him, and my half-brother…and Britta, for some reason I still don't get. Anyway, I don't think I'm necessarily destined to be just like him if I ever had kids. And now he isn't some specter haunting my past, making me wonder why he did the things he did to my mom and myself. I've got a better idea of why he was such an ass, and what I can do to avoid that."

Annie could practically feel herself about to lift off. Jeff was saying nearly everything she wanted to hear, and even the stuff that wasn't directly along the lines of what she wanted, she could still work with, like the fact that even though he wasn't convinced he wanted to get married, if he found the right woman, he wouldn't run from it anymore. Could tonight get any better?

"Jeff, why are you telling me all this?"

"Annie, do you remember what advice you gave me when I was sitting at this very table, asking you to help me with my speech for Shirley's wedding?"

Annie smiled, and reached out, touching the left side of his chest. "Of course…I told you to look in your heart, because I knew there was something real in there."

Jeff nodded soberly. "Well, I looked in there…and besides the Macallen that I ended up indulging in to the point of making a total ass out of myself, let's just say that there's a reason I always worry so much about what you think about me, and how safe you are, and the things I want to do with you, like a paired costume, or ski trip, or even helping you make my apartment 'a little more Annie'…it's pretty simple, really Annie. You're very important to me."

Annie couldn't get out any words. She actually couldn't manage anything more than a sound somewhere between a whimper and a choked laugh. Her mind was a blur at that moment…and while she felt completely out of control, she somehow, paradoxically, felt wholly in control of herself as she leaned forward.

Her lips pressed against Jeff's, and she drew him into a kiss.

Her thoughts were exploding. It felt so right and familiar, she couldn't believe they hadn't kissed since their first year, and even then, it had only been twice…three times if she wanted to count her kissing him after the Tranny Dance as one, and his return kiss as another. It felt so right. She wanted nothing more than to keep this moment going as long as she could. His scents, the touch of his warm lips as he returned her kiss…

Wait…

He wasn't kissing her back. He wasn't reacting at all. If he was reacting, which she was starting to realize he was, it was a subtle pressure of pulling away from her, creating a strain on her arms, which she'd wrapped around his neck.

Why wasn't he kissing her? What was wrong with her? She'd humiliated herself all over again! Somehow, beneath her mental self-castigation, she heard him whisper.

"Annie…we can't."

We can't? What was this all about? What was with the hugging, and hand-holding and cheek-kissing and the snuggling at his locker? What was all this leading up to? What did he mean they couldn't? God…had she been misreading everything all night? Was he leading her on? Was this another one of his sick games, but now he was playing with her instead of Britta? Well, hell with that…she wasn't playing.

Annie pulled back from Jeff abruptly, tears in her eyes, and stared him down. She didn't see what she expected. There wasn't a gleam of triumph, like he'd had when Britta admitted she didn't really love him during the debacle at the beginning of their second year. He had sorrow in his eyes…even with tears. What was with this guy tonight anyway?

Didn't matter. She'd had enough.

"You ASS." She managed to spit the words out at him.

"Anni-" she cut him off "No…no fancy speeches this time, Jeff. Hell with you. I'm tired of being made a fool of, and I've worked too long and too hard to respect myself to bow and scrape at your feet. I don't know if you thought this would be some big fun game tonight to see how crazy I was about you or something, but I'm done."

With that, Annie stood up, and turned to storm off. She paused briefly, and turned back to him. He wasn't looking at her, but rather, straight ahead to where she'd been sitting, appearing to be caught in a cross between panicking and furiously trying to think. He wasn't watching her, which gave her all the opportunity she needed to lay a well-deserved open-handed slap along his left cheek.

It hurt her palm, but the loud cracking sound and watching him recoil, followed by the look of total shock on his face were totally worth it.

Now she could turn and storm off.

She hadn't gotten more than a few steps off when she heard him call after her. "Annie!"

She ignored him.

"ANNIE!"

She heard louder, quicker footsteps behind her. He was chasing her. Don't run, Annie…just keep your pace. Can't let him be in control here.

He caught up to her, and grabbed her arm. She whirled on him, fire in her eyes, ready to do whatever she needed to do to tear free. She wasn't going to let him humiliate her again.

"Annie. Please stop."

"Why the hell should I? You want to play more fun games with my emotions?"

"No, Annie…I'd think you'd see that I've been as open about my inner emotions tonight as you, and that's not a normal thing for me. There's no games going on here."

Annie scoffed. "What the hell was that back there then? One second you're telling me that I told you to look into your heart, and you ended up realizing how important I am to you, and the next you're like a dead fish when I kiss you?! I mean, what the fuck, seriously?"

Jeff knew Annie was really mad when she started breaking out the serious curse words…words he, Britta, Pierce and Troy threw around like punctuation…Annie only used when, well…never.

He turned absolutely serious. He knew he had to sell this.

"Annie, you're a woman of your word. You and I agreed to some rules for tonight, and you're dangerously close to breaking two of them."

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "You're playing the rules card on me? After THAT?"

"Annie, I specifically made the rule of you not storming off until we're done because I knew some things would upset you. I told you this back in the study room, which…incidentally, was the last time you slapped me tonight. You were pretty mad then too, if you remember?"

Annie nodded, and her tears began in earnest, rolling down her cheeks unashamedly. She'd been so hurt and so humiliated tonight. Jeff felt his heart breaking…hurting this woman was never his intention, but he knew it would happen at points tonight. He just didn't expect it to happen right now. Why had she had to kiss him?

Jeff moved in to hug Annie…he had to comfort her. As soon as he got close, her head snapped up, and something in her eyes made him back off.

"Hey…it's ok. I just wanted to try to make you feel better."

With a voice that made her sound like she was barely holding back her rage, she replied "Don't you DARE touch me."

"What? I'm just trying to help."

"Maybe later…if you manage to make up for all this shit, but you had better keep your hands off me for now, Winger."

Jeff nodded sadly. Tonight had taken a turn it wasn't supposed to. He always wanted to be there for Annie, and now she wasn't going to let him.

"Well, you're in charge, and you've managed to keep me from leaving…now what? Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Jeff nodded again, and motioned with his hand as he started back towards the cafeteria. He walked slowly to let Annie catch up, but didn't attempt to take her hand, or offer her his elbow once she was at his side. She kept her arms hugged tightly around her midsection, making it obvious she had no interest in any sort of contact with him.

He'd done it…he'd ruined her.

A/N: Another extensively rewritten chapter. Originally...there wasn't a kiss, and there wasn't all this angst, but honestly...it had built up too close to it by that point, and it just felt flawed to have Jeff tell Annie she was very important to him, which hadn't been said in the "Prime Timeline" before, but had led to a kiss, or a scream interrupted near-kiss in all of the "timelines" where it WAS said, and then have it not lead to one here. What happened here will allow the events of future chapters to flow better, I promise. Don't give up hope!

Also, I ought to mention...if anyone has questions, or wants to discuss this story, feel free to hit up my tumblr which is at daneblr dot tumblr dot com. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and I've gotten to have some fun discussion with some people. I'm happy to answer anything, and it may help the story improve as new possibilities occur to me. Spoilers will be posted behind cuts to preserve your innocence.


	7. Chapter 7

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, and the steak dinner that Jeff's been waiting 4 years for...and got Tweeted.  
Word Count: 4391  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

Annie sat in the dark cafeteria, staring daggers at Jeff, who sat across the table from her. About 10 minutes ago, they would have likely slid into the booth side by side, holding hands, and passing coy glances.

As of about 5 minutes ago, that ended, and since then, Annie's demeanor towards Jeff had been nothing short of icy.

For his part at least, Jeff knew what he did. He had been trying out this whole "honesty and disclosure" thing, and when he told Annie how important she was to him, it had been the cherry on the goopy, affection-y sundae that had been slowly building all night. She had kissed him, and he, both startled, and not ready to kiss her, had not responded by returning her kiss. No, instead he pulled away, and told her that they 'couldn't.'

Dumb move for a guy who had repeatedly done the romantic equivalent of Lucy snatching a football away from Charlie Brown just prior to a kick, whether inadvertent or not. If Annie had a spot at her side of the table where she kept a running tally of anything, it would undoubtedly be "Winger Letdowns."

All this because he just had to make sure he had gone through everything…because he wanted to be in control of the situation, and make sure Annie had all the information before either one of the committed to anything. Because he just had to be in the driver's seat, and couldn't let a naturally affectionate woman who he just so happened to be crazy about express her feelings for him before he deemed it time.

Smooth move.

His stream of consciousness was too erratic for him to focus. He could feel his heart pounding, and could hear the ocean in his ears, waves synchronized with his pulse. Above the mental cacophony, he heard once voice begin to dominate. That familiar, nasty, raspy voice.

"So…you know, shit like this is how cynics are born. You keep breaking her little heart, and eventually she'll be too bitter and jaded to care. She'll be numb to the world, and fighting back against people who haven't even attacked her yet. And it'll be YOUR. FAULT. Let's keep it up, Winger. Help her get ready for the real world, so she isn't devoured when she gets out there. It's the only way she'll survive."

Was it though?

Jeff was getting more and more used to ignoring this darker side of himself. He could actively recognize it a fair portion of the time, and often argue it down. It was the part of him that had controlled his life from right around his parent's divorce until he finally realized that the group was more than just a way to try to get into Britta's pants. It was the portion of his personality that didn't want to care, or help others, just wanted to use and exploit. It was the part of himself that he had mostly managed to dispel, little by little…but he also had to realize that it would always be a part of him, even if he didn't let it rule him.

He didn't want to turn Annie into Britta. That's exactly what he'd be doing if he managed to make her cynical and bitter. Britta and he were similar in that both of them metaphorically shot first and asked questions later. He couldn't let that happen to Annie, and he certainly couldn't handle being the cause of it.

"Annie, do you know why we're here?"

Annie just rolled her eyes at him, clearly tired of the game they'd been playing all evening. "Well, Jeff…this is the cafeteria. I'm guessing at some point you probably said something nasty about my food, or something, right?"

Swing and a miss, Annie. At least she was BAD at being bitter…her verbal jabs weren't even clever.

"No, Annie…we're here because while an absolutely inordinate amount of activities take place here, thanks to our resident 'terrible Dean' feeling a compulsion to throw five dances a year…there's one time I want to talk about. I've always thought of it as the time that 'my Annie' beat the 'other Annie.'"

Annie blushed…feeling herself soften towards Jeff. She was still irate, but she also remembered how Jeff had used those exact terms for herself and Annie Kim back during the Model UN-off. Calling her 'his' Annie came across as affectionate, rather than possessive. It wasn't enough to make her throw herself at him, but she would never argue that it wasn't nice to feel wanted…even if it was wholly platonic.

"You mean the time you told me I was acting like a schoolgirl, and not in a hot way?" she poked at him, keeping her tone frosty. He was still on her bad list, even if he'd scored a couple of points since getting there.

"Annie, I'm not going to bullshit you. That fit you threw was embarrassing and unbecoming, especially for you."

"What…I'm held to a higher standard than everyone else?"

Jeff caught her eye directly, and stared her down. "Yeah, you are. Because you're better than everyone else. You know it, I know it, the rest of the group knows it, the rest of the damn school knows it."

"I'm not sure how to take that, Jeff."

"Take it how you want. Fact of the matter is…I'm not going to minimize anyone else's problems, but you've had more than your fair share, and you've probably dealt with them better than anyone else. Shirley and Abed are probably the next best…but you've got them both beat."

Annie was lost. "Jeff, what are you talking about? I haven't had THAT many problems."

Jeff actually looked mad, leading to Annie cringing with fear, but Jeff took a deep breath, and launched into the speech Annie knew was coming. It was predictable with him…

"Annie…who else in the group has dealt with addiction? Who else in the group has been disowned by both parents? Seriously…my dad let me have Thanksgiving with him after years of not seeing him, and I regularly avoid my mother's calls. I'm not disowned! Troy isn't! Abed isn't! Pierce's dad wouldn't stay OUT of his life…before I killed him, anyway. You're the only one who's had to deal with something as horrible as being completely cut off, which, I might add…they did to you because you made a positive life move!"

Annie squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Was he actually getting angry with her for her parents decision? "What's your point?"

Jeff snapped to attention, index finger thrusting out at her. She knew he was really in speechifying mode when he did that. "I'm not done. Stick with me…Addiction, family issues, you were completely ostracized in high school, constant internal push to be the best, low self-esteem…Annie, do you know ANYONE else who has this much crap dumped on them all at once?"

Annie was nearly in tears all over again. Jeff really knew how to hit all the wrong buttons tonight. "Is that the big reveal for us coming to the cafeteria, Jeff? Here's why Crazy Annie is crazy?"

"Annie…you don't get it, do you? Despite the fact that you have all this garbage dumped in your lap, you don't let it get you down. Look at me…my parents got divorced, Shirley made me pee myself, and I grow up to be a jaded jag with serious commitment issues. Britta isn't happy unless she's got half a dozen crazy causes that she's bullying everyone else into helping with, Troy actually injured himself to get out of a scholarship because he felt there was too much pressure and has complained about smiling when he doesn't want to! Pierce is…Pierce. ("Yeah, let's not even start digging there…") Shirley was so angry at Andre that she went batshit insane and vandalized Professor Slater's office and car! Abed is a unique case, but at a minimum, seeing us all in stop-motion has to be a first…"

Annie just sat there, and took it all in. She wasn't happy hearing Jeff tearing down their friends, but it seemed like he was just winding up, and she hoped he had a purpose.

"So, through all that, each of us have our own craziness, and you do too…but YOU are the one who is the bright, annoying, sun-like cheerful center of that study group. So much bad stuff has happened to you…and you still keep smiling. You still keep loving everyone. You were the one who kept encouraging us to give Pierce a second chance, because you felt he could be a better person, even when every last one of the rest of us had given up on him. None of us know how you do it, but your optimism and love are really what keep us together. Plus…you're the only one who really knows how to study." Jeff trailed off as he mumbled out the last sentence.

"Annie, you lived in one of the scariest neighborhoods in town, and you really never complained. The only reason any of us knew it was an issue was when we had to take you home that one time. It was horrible, and dangerous, and you were far too good to live there…and what was your attitude about it? It was the best you could afford, so you were grateful to have it! There's a name for people like you, y'know?"

Annie just waited for Jeff to continue…her eyes clearly waiting for him to enlighten her on what "her people" were called.

"Annie…you're a Pollyanna. Now, normally that's said with some level of disdain, but I assume you're familiar with the story? (Annie nodded. Of COURSE she knew Pollyanna.) Usually people call someone a Pollyanna to mock how relentlessly optimistic someone is, but every once in a while, you meet someone whose optimism is refreshing, not obnoxious."

Annie started to blush…this was one of the nicest things she'd ever heard come out of Jeff's mouth, let alone directed at her.

"You're a mix of both."

Scratch that blush…she should have known better than to trust Wingers bearing compliments. So this was how the Trojans felt…

"Annie, I'm not going to pretend that I'm hopelessly in love with your optimism, and your nagging, and your need to get involved with every campus activity and extra credit opportunity…but you could be a lot worse about it too. And just maybe…your nagging me has had a good influence on me. Do you remember our Zambia talk after the Model UN blowup?"

Annie shook her head…she remembered, but she didn't want to. It was uncomfortable and awkward, and was a bit of an upheaval in the status quo between Jeff and her, in ways both good and bad. And now Jeff was looking at her skeptically after her denial. "You…the girl who takes copious notes and even records classes doesn't remember a conversation that seemed to be pretty memorable, and almost a 'turning point' between you and I?" Jeff even used air quotes for emphasis when he got to the appropriate point.

"Fine. I remember, but it's too embarrassing…do I have to say it?"

Jeff smirked at her. Could she be cuter? "No…you don't have to say it. I will. To paraphrase, I told you that the dynamic between us had to change, because *I* was keeping you at an arms length by maintaining your status as someone whose age made them somehow less than me…I was older, and thus, more mature, and you were a bit of a child. Am I accurate thus far, Annie?"

Annie nodded…she didn't much care for this. It felt like it was the beginning of some distance between them, just like it had been last time. Previously, they'd been able to find ways to overcome the distance, and had become closer than ever…but she didn't feel comfortable predicting any ends like that with how tonight had been going.

"Good. To continue, if it please the Annie" By slipping her name in, as if she were a judge, Jeff was trying desperately to lighten the mood …plus it was getting late, and he got slightly goofy when he was missing his designated beauty sleep. "you were nervous about the prospect of growing up, because you and I had grown so close, and you didn't want to risk that. And here's where I got sloppily sentimental. I told you that it was too bad, because the world needed women like you…and our relationship would have to evolve to fit that need. It wasn't fair for you to stay a kid forever just so you and I could stay in our comfort zone, right?"

Annie looked over at Jeff…her expression unreadable. If Jeff had to hazard a guess, he'd say she looked like she was feeling a loss. He needed to pick up the pace…keeping Annie hurting wasn't in anyone's best interest, especially not his. He couldn't pull any triggers early…if he did, he risked potentially destroying any chance he had with long term happiness with Annie, and even worse, he could ruin the adorably obnoxious optimism and drive that made Annie so unique. Jeff's first and foremost priority tonight was to make sure Annie came out of it, if not better off…then at least not worse off than she came into it. Beyond that…he'd carry out his plan of attack, and see what lay ahead.

"Annie…I need to know from you. How do YOU feel our relationship has progressed since this little heart to heart? I know you were worried we wouldn't be as close…do you think that happened?"

"Jeff, of course not. Yes, I was worried…I always will be in a situation like that, but if anything, I think we've gotten closer."

Jeff grinned. She nailed it. "Yeah, Annie…I think so too. Honestly, I'd say we're the closest pair in the group, apart from maybe your two roommates. Those guys are on an entirely separate level…" Jeff stood there, shaking his head while he thought of Troy and Abed. He wasn't sure if they reminded him more of twins, or of an elderly married couple who'd been together so long, they practically shared a single brain. "Seriously though, Annie…take a look at you and me. Is Pierce as close to anyone as that? Is Shirley or Britta? Are you closer to anyone than you are to me? I love everyone in the group…even Pierce. Shirley and I have a special bond that's unique, but I am flat out closer to you than anyone."

Jeff paused for a minute, both letting that sink in, and steeling himself for what came next. He'd never admitted this to Annie before…or anyone for that matter. He'd barely allowed himself to think it. It was too dangerous…but this stop was all about getting past the creepiness and danger. He was about to lay himself in front of Annie, at her mercy.

"In fact…I think you're possibly the most important person in the world to me. The only rival you have is my mom. She has biology on her side, plus the whole raising me thing…but, again, I DO avoid her phone calls on a regular basis, which I don't do with you. Besides, I've never kissed my mom the way we've kissed."

Jeff tried to grin at this last part, but in doing so, realized he was sniffing loudly, and that tears were rolling down his cheeks. This whole emotional honesty thing was going to take some serious getting used to. Given the circumstances, he was fairly certain that the cocky grin he wanted to pull off probably looked like a painful rictus.

When she saw his tears, like clockwork, Annie moved to comfort him. It was a move both conscious and instinctual. Annie felt the drive to make him feel better, but she actively indulged it. She slid over to the other side of the table, and pulled him into a hug.

"This isn't a free pass, Jeff. I'm still hurt and mad at you…but I'm not THAT big of a single-minded harpy. Besides…you don't even have my mom to be your rival." Jeff wasn't the only one who could lay down heavy truths tonight…she loved the whole study group, but since the earliest days, even when she had her schoolgirl crush on Troy, she'd still valued Jeff above everyone else. She'd simply invited Troy to her Day of the Dead party their freshman year…she'd hunted Jeff down, and pulled out all the stops to make sure he'd come. In part, because she knew the presence of someone as cool as Jeff could ensure the success of her party, but also…she just wanted him there! Was that really so wrong?

He wasn't bawling by any means…he was still Jeff, but for a few brief moments, he allowed himself to be held by Annie, and even though it wasn't apparent to anyone besides him, he allowed himself to relax, and be vulnerable in his most sensitive areas. He silently allowed himself to open his heart, and allow Annie in. When he'd set out on this one night epic adventure, he had an idea where he wanted things to end up…and with each completed stop, he was more and more assured of the details of the final destination. He had already repudiated much of his previous life during his time at Greendale, whether it was deciding the study group was more enjoyable to spend time with than a bunch of stuffed suits, or that it was the right decision to risk throwing away any opportunity to reclaim his former position at his law firm in order to do right by Shirley…or even to admit to himself that a lot of the time, he was wrong about a lot of things. He needed to address a couple of those before they moved on. He pulled away from Annie, and she reciprocated, folding her arms across her chest as she backed to the end of the bench. She wasn't AS mad at him, but she was still upset. Now that he wasn't in emotional distress, it was back to the new status quo.

"Annie…in all this growth, you've achieved so much…but I need to make sure you know not to change WHO you are. For the past four years, I've barely tolerated Pierce…everyone in the group has. Except you. You've always fought for him, because that's your instinct. You see the best in people. But just a few months ago, when the Dean wanted to hunt that 'whale,' Archie…you had me distracting him, which believe me…I totally get, but you were also just being snide about him. You called him by that codename 'Walking Dead,' and were generally very un-Annie about it. Don't become that person…don't be like me. Don't you get it? I've mostly been a not-great person, and you've helped me change that. You, on the other hand, have always been wonderful, just in need of some time to grow up. Don't become like me."

Annie nodded at him. She wasn't ashamed of trying to keep Pierce away during the Dean's wooing of the rich, lazy student, because Pierce really WAS a bit of an attention hog, who could turn into a drama queen when he wasn't the center of attention, but she hadn't needed to be so rude behind his back. She hadn't felt good about it then, or when she thought about it later.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I just try too hard to fit in sometimes. Especially when it comes to feeling like I need to act more adult. I'm just tired of everyone treating me like a kid after all this time. I thought it would eventually come to an end…but it hasn't."

"Annie, take it from the person who's probably made a bigger deal about your age than anyone else. You're a grown woman now. People just underestimate you because they're so used to cynicism coming with age, and you've managed to avoid that. That's a good thing. As long as I'm around, if anyone gives you crap about your age, I'm going to bat for you."

Annie looked at him, eyes wide. After her explosive tantrum at the Model UN, Jeff had said a few choice things about the age difference between them, what it had meant, and what needed to change with it going forward. She could still hear the echoes in her memory, Jeff saying to her 'When you feel the way I feel about you…' back then, his example of treating her like a child to show her what had to end distracted her from his bold-faced admission of his feelings. The next time age got brought up was at the hotel, when they were reconciling after she'd thrown drinks in his face. He'd told her he wasn't going to want to do a lot of things she did…and she immediately threw the age issue in his face like it was another drink. He'd denied it then, saying that it was because he wasn't lame, and they'd laughed it off. Now though…she realized what it said when she put the pieces together. His denying the age issue, his telling her that he'd take her side if her age should come up…

"Jeff, are you saying our ages don't matter anymore?"

"Yeah, Annie…that's what I'm saying. If anything, you're the more adult of us. You're not a starry-eyed teenager anymore. You're about to graduate, you've been on your own since you opted to go into rehab, and you've proven to be nothing but successful under adverse circumstances. I'm still going to call you on it when you act childish, but let's face it…with your determination and insistence that everyone put forth their best efforts, there's going to be times when lazy slackers like me will make you frustrated and you'll act out, even when you're an eighty year old woman asking Leonard if you can join the Hipsters. When I consider that, I have to say that our ages DEFINITELY don't matter."

For what seemed like the millionth time tonight, Annie was caught off-guard and stunned by Jeff's admission. He'd just elevated her to a peer…and completely removed one of the major stumbling blocks that had prevented them from being anything more than…whatever the hell they'd been.

"Jeff, can you please just give me a moment to think here?" Jeff gave her a curious look, but nodded his assent.

Annie needed just a few seconds to process and consider everything without feeling pressured to be giving Jeff answers, or interacting with him. She looked back at the last few years, and especially the last few months. She and Jeff had done SO much together, but had never had the dreaded "define the relationship" talk, because they weren't in a relationship…why would they? But he'd asked, and taken her to a Greendale dance…he'd taken her on a ski trip, he'd attempted a couple's costume with her, they regularly hung out at each other's lockers while they waited for the other one, he'd kept her company during the 'Civil War,' he'd immediately chosen her as his Biology partner…hell, he'd even been the first one to jump to her rescue when her character was getting killed when they'd played Pierce's dumb video game. She'd (embarrassingly) used her feminine wiles to get him to join the Glee club, they'd been partners in 'trying' the case when their Biology yam was smashed…they'd even sung a very subtext laden line together when they were trying to rescue Abed from his mental breakdown their sophomore Christmas…and ANY time it came up…going to dinner, going to a dance, anything like that, Jeff always paid her way. He didn't even make a big deal about it…she tried, but he'd somehow get to it first. When Annie had given her 'speech' at the Starburns wake, she'd revealed that she'd been on three dates since coming to Greendale…and had to pay for all of them. She hadn't even thought of the times Jeff had taken her out, because those weren't dates…right? More often than not, it was just something quiet at the Greendale cafeteria, or Jeff would bring take-out for her along with his own when he'd come to hang out at Casa Trobed. Since the majority of the time they weren't going anywhere…Annie could see how she'd overlooked it.

Even given all that though, there was so much they didn't do. Prior to her humiliation tonight, they hadn't kissed since the Tranny Dance. They didn't hold hands, or hug each other more frequently than they hugged the rest of the group. If Jeff ever took her to eat, she'd always hug him after, but she'd do the same for any other group members. Obviously, they didn't have sex…

When she was with Jeff, she felt comfortable, but always had an undercurrent of giddiness. She loved that they talked, and texted without it being a big deal…Jeff was just a part of her life.

My God…was she dating him? While, somehow, not actually dating him?

"Jeff?"

"All done with your introspection?" he replied, turning to face her

Annie nodded. "Yeah, and I need to ask you something."

Jeff studied her face…her eyes were shiny with tears…what conclusion had she drawn during the momentary silence she'd requested? He nodded at her to continue.

"Jeff…can you please stop with the mixed signals? I'm starting to get really confused, and it's getting really uncomfortable for me."

Crap. He'd worried this might happen while he was acting somewhat against type, and opening up to her…but really, her timing couldn't have been better. He gave her what he figured was his most genuine, reassuring look. It had always worked on his clients in the past…not to mention the study group more than once.

"Yeah, Annie…in fact, I think we should head on out of here, and we'll handle those mixed signals once and for all."

Annie nodded, sniffing slightly as she stood. Jeff didn't fail to notice that her body language was staying closed, like it had on the way in. He was still in the doghouse…but at least they were one step closer to the final resolution.

As they left the cafeteria, Annie couldn't hold it in any longer.

"So, what was that about Shirley making you pee yourself?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

* * *

A/N: I need to get a couple of things out that have really been tweaking with my brain while I wrote this chapter.

Humor: Community is a sitcom...it's funny. This story is not. I comfort myself by repeatedly telling myself that a big part of what makes Community so funny is the writing as interpreted by the actors...so much of the humor is visual, and that just can't be conveyed in a story like this. But, in the end...I feel like I'm taking the characters, and writing them as faithfully as I possibly can...and putting them through what amounts to an episode of "As Greendale Turns." I blame my failure on the fact that I have an extremely...unusual sense of humor. The last time a stand-up comic was able to make me crack a smile, I was eight years old. On the other hand, Andre wearing a Cosby sweater will endlessly amuse me, or the sight of Jim Rash writhing around on the floor due to Joel McHale donning a pair of aviators. I suspect the root cause is a steady diet of British comedies back in my teen years...but bottom line is, I apologize for taking funny characters and situations, and writing a pure drama.

Continuity/Characterization: We're just about halfway done here...this was the last entry for Season 3, and we leap into Season 2 next chapter. I am definitely taking liberties with what I think happens with the characters off-screen. However, I am trying to only do this based on what I can surmise from cues from the shows. Now...I LOVE discussion and debate. If you want to take issue, or even just talk about any of my plot points, bring it to me on my tumblr (daneblr is the tumblr name...) and I would love some back and forth. I'll likely argue my case, but I'm definitely open for convincing. Even if you want to talk about stuff that ISN'T related to my story...I'm just a discussion addict.

Overuse: Lastly...upon some rereading, I've realized that due to the fact that there's only SO many "big" definitive Jeff/Annie moments in the series...I tend to hammer on them again, and again, AND AGAIN. I am going to try to avoid using the fucking ski trip, paired Halloween costumes, etc...as much as possible moving forward. The story is about to pick up just a bit anyway, so it should be a little easier. Egads...I never want to see myself mention those in this story again.


	8. Chapter 8

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 4010  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

Dark halls.

That was all that ran through Annie Edison's mind as she and Jeff left the well-moonlit outdoors and went back into to the building that contained not only the library, but several classrooms, thus necessitating the halls they now walked through. Didn't most normal schools have a dedicated, separate library? Greendale's architecture was fairly screwy, and often confusing to those unused to it.

Didn't matter…Annie was fine with the dark halls. They matched her dark mood.

Truth be told, the fact that she was finally starting to feel some level of fatigue. It had been a long day, it was way past her typical bedtime, and the emotional ups and downs of everything that had happened during the graduation events, plus the added stress of whatever game Jeff was playing with her was beginning to wear on the always perky Annie. Still, she was curious enough to see where this ended up. She just hoped the end came soon.

She and Jeff walked side by side, but kept a respectable distance from each other. She still felt a fair amount of pain from her earlier humiliation. If it had been a first time for this sort of feeling when it came to interactions between them, and how she interpreted them vs. how he had to be, it might be a bit easier to get over and forgive. That wasn't the case. Over the past four years, Jeff had repeatedly thrown flirtatious vibes her way, and then as soon as he realized what he may be getting himself into, he'd back out, say it was a mistake, or it was misinterpreted, or anything he could to get the focus off of him.

That right there was the REAL Winger guarantee. He'd do what it took to make sure he came out of any sort of sticky situation scot-free. Annie had it from his mouth that the mixed signals were going to stop now. She realized that with every room they visited, with every event they recalled, Jeff was removing one of the obstacles that had been put between them…usually by him.

Annie wasn't going to lie though, getting rid of the mixed signals thing was probably one of the ones she was most excited about. She was tired of being constantly confused by his behavior.

Suddenly, in the middle of the hallway, Jeff stopped. Annie followed suit and gave Jeff an inquisitive look. "Jeff, I'm right here with you…you can keep moving."

He shrugged apathetically. "No where to go. We're here."

"The hall?! God, I can't wait to hear this one…"

Jeff couldn't contain himself. He shot her the smirk. Annie rolled her eyes, but Jeff was almost certain he caught a hint of a smile tugging at her lips…and if he wasn't mistaken, a bit of blush intruding in her cheeks. He still had it.

"Annie, do you remember the time I got kicked out of the group?"

"And then you went crazy and tried to axe murder a table? Little hard to forget, Jeff!"

Jeff had to acknowledge the craziness of that day, half nodding his head, half shaking it, resulting in an odd sort of bobble, as he cast his eyes up towards the ceiling, refusing to meet Annie's gaze after being confronted with one of his darker moments.

"Well, that day, I went to Professor Kane's office, and found a photo of Pierce and…" Jeff trailed off. This wasn't a memory that made him look good in the slightest. "You know what…that doesn't matter. What matters is, I ran into Chang, who proceeded to throw a ham at me, and dive into that vent over there."

With that, Jeff pointed at a vent on the lower part of the wall.

"I should have put the pieces together earlier…but that's when it clicked, how all the vents are interconnected. I know, duh-doy, right? Of course they're connected."

Annie was starting to get lost. Where did vents come into all this? "Jeff, what's the point? Why do we care about vents in the hallway?"

Jeff smiled down at her. His smile had a way of making her insides feel like they didn't belong there. It was disconcerting in an incredibly delightful way. She tried to shake it off, since she was determined not to let his charm sink through to her core, and allow him back in her good graces. She was mad, and with good reason!

"Open the vent, Annie."

Annie walked forward, and did as she was told, pulling the vent open cautiously, praying Annie's Bo…Troy's monkey didn't leap out at her. When nothing popped out, her eyes darted around the now exposed entry to the ventilation shaft, and then she saw it.

Sitting right in the middle of the bottom edge was a single purple pen. The exact type she favored.

Annie grabbed the pen, and held it up wordlessly, giving Jeff a questioning stare. Would she ever get past this lost feeling tonight? Feeling like a tourist on an outing that was supposedly 'for her,' was getting old…er.

"You don't get it?" Jeff raised his eyebrows at her.

"Jeff, first of all, we were in the study room when we lost the pen. Second, we already got the pen back."

Jeff nodded at her. "I'm guilty on both points there, Annie. Forgive me for reaching for this one a little, but we can't go back to the study room yet. Believe it or not, but tonight's events are at least loosely scripted. I'm trying to do something special for you here, and in this case, it requires kind of…forcing things to fit. You can be un-Annie, roll with it, and maybe have some fun, or you can be your normal uptight self, and complain that everything doesn't fit your rigid pattern."

Annie made her trademark noise of offense, letting Jeff know his prodding had hit home. Perfect…now she'd play along. Jeff was getting tired of holding the reins, and was looking forward to passing them over, or even sharing them, with Annie, but he had just a little further to go. This was the home stretch.

"So, Annie, do you remember the day we found the pen? Along with all the other crap that hairy menace stole from us?"

Annie wasn't one to be kept off balance for long, especially not after so many years of learning from Jeff how to be quicker on her feet.

"You mean the day we learned how you and Britta had been humping like rabbits for God only knows how long?" Annie went right on the attack. Jeff, on the other hand, was silently relieved. He had two issues to hit here, and this was certainly the one he wanted to resolve first.

"Yep. That'd be the day, sweetheart." Jeff agreed while giving her a wry grin. "How did it make you feel to hear that I'd been shacking up with Britta so regularly?"

Annie didn't miss a beat. "You already know how it felt, Jeff. I hated every second of it. When we left the room that day, we all gave you our 'blessing' to keep going with it, and it killed me to do it. I played it off as best I could, but it hurt! How could you do that with Britta so easily, and you could barely give me the time of day? And then, you kept getting my hopes up with all those long looks, and all the coy…stuff we had happening. You know…the 'Anni-"

Jeff interrupted before she could move into the second issue. "Annie, you obviously know since Britta and Troy got together, that at some point, she and I stopped out little arrangement. Did you know that it stopped that very day though? You all walked out, and she and I decided that it was done. Not even a last time to get it out of our system."

Annie looked at Jeff with concern and disbelief. She didn't feel doubt that his words were true, she just couldn't believe she was hearing them. Voluntarily giving up emotionless, attachment free, no-complications sex? That was totally not Jeff.

"Jeff, why would you do that? You formed the study group purely to get into Britta's pants. Once you'd gotten that…why give it up?"

Jeff slumped against the wall, and slowly lowered himself into a sitting position on one side of the vent, and lifted a hand to swing it closed. As he did so, Annie sat on the other side of the vent, facing him, rather than leaning against the wall. He looked introspective as he decided exactly how to express himself.

"Because it was a mistake from the get-go, Annie. Yeah, it's what I wanted when I made up the whole group…but I wasn't that same guy six months from then, let alone nearly two years!"

Jeff took a deep breath, and sighed it back out. "Look, Annie…I think it's pretty clear to everyone, especially Britta and myself, that we are TERRIBLE for each other. We're great friends, but that's it. Not friends with benefits, not girlfriend and boyfriend, just friends and even that, we can only take in limited doses. That's all we are, and that's all we'll ever be…from the day we found the stupid monkey stash forward."

Annie found herself nodding at Jeff's words. She knew she sounded harsh and more than a little cynical when the next words slipped out of her mouth.

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious to everyone else early on how bad you were. Why did you keep going with it if you knew it was such a bad idea?"

Jeff failed to meet her eyes, raising his eyebrows and speaking to the floor between his legs. "Well, Annie…for starters, we're both attractive people. Even though I don't want her, I can't deny that Britta is pretty good looking. And me…well, everyone knows I am." Annie caught herself smiling at this rather familiar declaration, and had to resist the temptation to twirl her hair.

"Also, I'm insanely self-destructive, if you hadn't noticed. My therapist keeps telling me that somewhere, buried deep within me, I have a part of me that hates myself, and wants me to be miserable. I didn't believe that myself, quite frankly, because I've always known how awesome I am…but just recently, I've had a chance to get to know this other side of me."

Jeff paused for a moment, and Annie's brows knotted together at this revelation. She was wholly caught up in his story, but hated the idea of Jeff having a part of him that didn't like himself. Even at her angriest, Annie still felt a strong affection towards him, and the idea that he didn't like himself almost felt like he was telling her she was wrong, yet again. His powerful self-esteem was one of the attractive qualities about him, and she didn't want him to lose that, no matter how much he changed.

"Anyway, this self-hating, self-destructive part of me is why I had emotionless sex with Britta, and all the other women I've been with over the years…it's why I'm so cynical all the time, it's why I avoid getting involved with anything I don't have to, and put forth the minimum effort when I do. It's why I kept everyone at an arm's length for so long. I'm trying to avoid caring about anyone or anything besides myself. It's a bad defense mechanism, and it's a good self-harm mechanism. I'm trying to keep myself from being hurt, and hurting myself all at the same time"

Jeff stood, and offered both hands down to Annie. Confused she took them, and Jeff pulled her up. He let his hands slide down her sides, to just above her hips.

"And my self-destructive tendencies are why for so damn long, I've given you mixed signals. By keeping you at a distance, I'm trying to keep from hurting you, and subconsciously, intentionally hurting myself. I hate myself enough that I'm terrified that if we get close, I may ruin the incredible, unique things that make you who you are."

Annie processed what Jeff was saying, and before he could continue, spoke up.

"So…wait, Jeff…are you saying that there is an 'Ann-" Jeff interjected before she could finish for the second time in minutes. It almost seemed like he was really determined to keep her from saying that particular phrase.

"Yeah, Annie…I'm saying there is an *sigh* 'Annie Of It All.' And if you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I will deny using that phrase until the day I die."

Annie's face lit up. She'd gotten admissions of his feelings on different levels over the years, and even over the course of this evening, but hearing that she wasn't just a crazy schoolgirl with a crush reading too much into their looks and interactions was incredible. She felt vindicated, and she started laughing with joy. Happy tears began to spill out of her eyes and she grabbed Jeff's shirt in her fists, and pulled her face into his chest, just happy to be close to him.

Annie felt Jeff's arms wrap around her upper back, and euphoria rush through her body. She still had embarrassment and anger from what happened earlier…but she was sure she'd be able to forgive him. He'd finally realized that there was something there! She wasn't just being silly!

With her face pressed into his chest, Annie felt, as well as heard his next words.

"I mean, I really knew the whole time. I just couldn't say it."

What.

So, once again, Jeff had been playing it safe while Annie looked like a fool? He hadn't just realized his feelings recently, but had been lying this whole time? Again? Annie's tears began anew, but this time, they were far from happy. She felt that ball of anger she was working to dispose of rear its head again…and double in size. She let go of his shirt, and backed a step away from him, forcing him to release the hold his arms had on her shoulders.

"Jeff, I think I may hate you." For what seemed like the millionth time tonight to Jeff, tears were streaming down Annie's face. And of course, just like always, they were his own damn fault.

Somehow.

Honestly, Jeff had no possible explanation for how he had made Annie cry this time. He had thought that admitting that there WAS a whole "would they, might they" thing (or, as Annie had annoyingly, repeatedly, and as Jeff had to admit, slightly adorably insisted on referring to as 'the Annie Of It All') between them would make her happy…hopefully make up for some of the hurt she'd experienced tonight.

No such luck.

"Annie, I don't get it. Why would you decide you hate me when I've just admitted that yes, you and I have shared long looks, and stolen glances, and that there's been some crazy sexual tension between us? I think you'd be happy to finally be proven right!"

Annie looked at him, the look on her face seeming to communicate astonishment at his conclusions. Jeff waited a few moments to see if Annie would actually respond to him, when she suddenly lunged forward, planting both of her hands on his chest, and shoving him backwards as hard as she could. Jeff stumbled backwards, but mostly due to surprise than the force she imparted with her shove.

"You bastard!" Annie shouted at him. "How could you think that TWO fucking years after you humiliated me in front of the whole group, I'm just going to be completely satisfied that now, when it's convenient for you, you decide to admit to it. Not only that, but you say something stupid like 'I mean, I really knew the whole time. I just couldn't say it.' God! Will you ever cease to avoid thinking of anyone besides yourself?!"

"Hey!" Jeff decided if she could shout, he could too. And her attack was showing that she hadn't completely listened to him. Either that, or he'd explained badly…either way, he needed to take the situation back into his control. His outburst had caught her attention, and gained him the advantage. Time to run with it. "I'm sorry, kitten…did you think that maybe, just MAYBE, you should stop, and reconsider the different ways you have to interpret something someone else has said BEFORE you go getting all high and mighty, pissed off, and blowing up in someone else's face?"

By the time he'd finished his tirade, he'd bent down far enough that his eyes were level with hers. His face was red, and his veins were popping from shouting at the smaller woman. She wasn't taking it lying down though. She held his glare, and lowering her voice, let her tone get icy.

"Oh, you think I'm the one who needs to worry about how I interpret other people's words and actions? You're the man who just admitted that I was right, two plus goddamned years ago about interpreting your words and actions, which you denied then, now you say that back in the study room our sophomore year, you were LYING!"

How could he make her understand?

He was still fuming, racking his brain for the words that would drive in through her thick skull that this wasn't his fault, and she shouldn't be mad at him, but should be grateful to him for admitting it in the first place! In the moments he had to think, Jeff thought he saw something moving over Annie's shoulder, down the dark hall. Before he could wonder too much about it, or about his retort, Annie launched back into her assault on him.

"Jeff, are you really so vain and egotistical that you just assumed that I would be grateful to get your attention? Was I supposed to throw myself at your feet? Did you want me to swoon? I can work up a swoon real quick if it'll make you happy!"

Jeff couldn't let her take this route…she'd just get more and more worked up and he'd never get to explain to her why he couldn't tell her before now.

"I want to go home, Jeff."

Wait…this was really bad. "What do you mean, Annie? We're close to the end."

"No, Jeff. I'm done. Screw your games, screw your memory lane bullshit, and to hell with you, Winger. I'm going home."

This announcement hit Jeff right between the eyes and made him defocus his gaze off of Annie. This had the side effect of giving him a perfect thousand yard stare, driving him to look into the shadows down the hall, where moments previously, he'd thought he'd seen something he shouldn't. He now knew for a fact that he'd seen something. He froze.

"Annie…" he choked out.

"No, Jeff. You can't talk me out of this. Maybe we'll talk in a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months, and figure out how we'll resolve this one." Annie's voice sounded dull, defeated.

"Annie…" Jeff repeated. "Turn around slowly, and look where I'm looking."

Annie looked up at him, narrowing her eyes and slightly shaking her head, as if disbelieving what she was hearing…but then did as he told her. Within moments, she saw it too.

Whatever it was darted into the shallow indentation in the hall separating a classroom door from the main hallway, but remained mostly visible. It blended into the shadows nearly perfectly. Had they not seen it moving, they never would have noticed it.

"Jeff?" Annie spoke in a trembling voice "What is that? It's human sized…but it's definitely not human."

Jeff tried to sound as brave as possible for Annie, shifting his body so he was between her and…whatever it was. "No fucking clue, Annie." He started slowly backing up, hoping she'd take the visual cue from him. His arms were spread out and downward, as if to try to prevent anything from getting past him to her.

Jeff could feel himself drawing closer to Annie, and all his senses available while he wasn't looking at her told him she wasn't moving. He hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "Annie, get moving. Get to a door and run to your car and don't stop until you get home!"

Jeff kept slowly moving backwards, the shadow creature didn't move, but Jeff had the distinct feeling it was watching them. His journey was stopped when he backed into something soft and warm. Annie yelped at the contact.

"Annie…why aren't you running? Get going!"

Annie couldn't do anything more than make a frightened whimpering noise. Jeff tried to think of a plan, and as he slid around so he was standing by Annie's side, they both saw their unidentified intruder dash diagonally across the hall to another hallway/door indentation closer to their position, and resume watching.

Jeff made a decision, and acted. "Sorry Annie, I know you hate me now, and this is probably the last thing you want me to do…but if you aren't going to move on your own, then tough!"

With that, Jeff put an arm around her back, and leaning over, swept another at her knees, knocking her off her feet, and picking her up. Oddly enough, the first image that came to mind for him as he did this was the stereotypical vision of a groom carrying his bride across a threshold.

Jeff was no groom though, he was just a guy, holding a girl he'd driven to hate him as they ran from something they couldn't identify. He'd thought the school was abandoned for the break. He thought he'd give Annie the most romantic thing he was capable of, and see where it led their unusual friendship to once all was said and done. Instead, he was getting a break from being screamed at by her, only to run away, not from a relationship for once, but from something even less understandable.

As he began to run, he felt something hit his leg, and clatter against the floor. Annie was staring directly into his eyes, her fear nearly palpable.

Jeff briefly turned his head to see if there was any sign of their stalker. Sure enough, as soon as his back was turned, it had begun following them in a far more bold fashion.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he panicked. They wouldn't make it to an outside door before that…whatever caught up with them. He didn't dare try to run past it…so it was time to take a third option.

He smiled, despite himself. Third options were lucky for him. Hadn't Annie been his third option when Slater and Britta were fighting over him?

Jeff turned a corner and dashed down the hall to a room he knew was unlocked and had the door open. He'd already been planning on visiting this room tonight. In fact, it was their next stop. He nudged the door more open with his foot so he wouldn't bang Annie's head on it opening it, and slipped the two of them inside. Once in, he set Annie down, closed the door as quietly as he could, the dust strip along the bottom creating a dragging sound as it moved. He turned on the lights, and looked down at Annie.

She was looking up at him, a mixture of terror, hurt and even gratitude in her eyes. Looking into her eyes, Jeff knew how badly he'd screwed up…not just tonight, but repeatedly over the last few years. He'd already known some of it, but not the true depth of it. He kept looking, and as he looked, he thought he could see the hurt dropping away, and being replaced with something else he was hesitant to put a name to.

Jeff and Annie looked into each other's eyes a few more moments…and then they weren't looking anywhere at all.

For the first time since running into each other outside the Tranny Dance, Jeff and Annie were kissing each other.

* * *

A/N: We're in the home stretch! By my count, as per the outline I drew up a while back...we've got 5 chapters to go, plus the epilogue, which is about the same size as the rest of the chapters, but really doesn't fit in as part of the main story. And I promise...I realize some crazy stuff happened here, but this isn't LOST. I WILL explain everything.

The first full paragraph is a bit of a poke at the Hogwarts-like nature of the GCC campus. I've made some descriptions in previous chapters based on the maps found on the Community wikia (which I believe are themselves taken from the Pillows and Blankets episode,) and then realized that the campus layout doesn't make any sense. All of the classes seem to be in the same building that the study room is in...which is the library. But then, there's all sorts of other buildings that would make sense for classes, and we've seen the group walking around outside from class to class... Basically, I think the rule is to give it the MST3K treatment; Repeat to yourself it's just a show, you should really just relax. Bottom line is, I think the campus 'layout' changes based on the demands of the episode.

As always, I'm available for questions and comments on my tumblr (daneblr,) I read and re-read every review that's left for me. They're like sweet, juicy sections of an orange. They refresh and rejuvenate me. Spoilers are given out freely for those who ask for them on my tumblr, because you may help me realize a crippling point I hadn't seen before. Please note, spoilers will always be posted behind a cut, to protect those who don't want to see them. I'm also considering doing a 'lessons learned' post on there after I'm done with this fic...because there's been quite a few, and I'm pretty sure this site isn't fond of non-fic stuff, even if it's related.

Next chapter should be up before too long, give me a few days.


	9. Chapter 9

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 5225  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

Smiling, Annie broke her kiss with Jeff with a contented sound. As they each opened their eyes and looked at each other, Annie was the first to break the silence.

"You had better not say that that was a mistake." She whispered to Jeff, a coy smile on her face. She already knew he wouldn't dare try to say that now.

"It was, Annie."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, and Annie had realized that she hadn't misheard him, her fury reignited, and she smacked him right across the chest.

"What the hell, Jeff! What about no more mixed signals? What is wrong with you tonight?! I thought you were trying to fix everything between us, not create new problems left and right!"

Jeff had enough of Annie flying off the handle…even if she was justified. Jeff needed her to actually listen to him, not blindly react to everything that came out of his mouth without allowing him time for explanation.

"Annie, shut up!"

Shocked, she did. Jeff kept going.

"Here's the thing. I am putting my foot down, you understand? I am being assertive, and I am making eye contact, and it is achieving results!"

Annie was more than a little stunned by her own words from their freshman year being used against her. "Are you trying to get formidable with me?"

Jeff was a little wide-eyed, "Yeah, and I can't believe it worked…"

Annie had a similar bewildered expression. "Yeah, me either…" she said, allowing her voice to trail off as she tried to figure out exactly how Jeff had turned her angry rant off so quickly…and why she wasn't starting back up with it.

Jeff didn't give her the time to launch back into her tirade. "We will talk about this." He said, gesturing rapidly back and forth between them, "in a few minutes. First things first, what did you see back there? Don't leave anything out."

Annie nodded. This was smart. Putting their personal issues aside for a minute to solve the larger problem. This is why Jeff was consistently listened to (in most cases…not all) when it came to making decisions…he was logical, and usually kept his wits about himself. After all, if whatever they saw out there turned out to be a bigger problem than either of them thought, they may not have the chance to have personal issues anymore.

"Ok…it was black, head to toe. Or at least a dark enough color that it looked black in the low light of the hallways. Bipedal, human sized, as I mentioned before, but bent almost double. It moved quickly, but smoothly, when it moved at all…and it looked like it had some sort of tail coming up over its back. Honestly, Jeff, it reminded me as nothing so much as a cross between a human…thing, and a"

"Scorpion." Jeff finished for her. He had hoped that his youthful years of reading Spider-Man comics had just been playing with his imagination, but knew now that they weren't. What he had seen had reminded him of nothing as much as an ersatz version of the webslinger's villain made real.

"Yeah, that matches what I saw too. It looked like it was following us when we were running. Like you said, it was quick…but I wouldn't call it fast, by any means…I'm guessing if it comes down to it, we can outrun it."

Annie nodded. Jeff was planning. This was good. They'd get out of this. She may be the scheduler…but Jeff was the planner.

"Annie…come over here." Jeff led her deeper into the room, and around a set of free-standing shelves, situating them between the two of them and the doorway. He looked down at her, and with the most serious expression she'd ever seen on his face, he started giving her instructions.

"Ok, it comes in here, we stay right here until we see which side it's coming around these shelves, ok? As soon as it actually comes around…just in case it tries to fake us out, you go around the other side, head out the door, and don't stop until you get someplace safe, ok?"

Annie nodded, comforted that the solution was fairly simple, then it suddenly hit. "Hey…what are you going to do?"

Jeff's face softened with a slight smile. "I'm going to buy you a bit of time, and then I'm getting the hell out of here too."

Annie gave him a doubtful look. "You aren't going to try to do something stupid and noble, are you?"

Jeff shot her his patented 'Are You Out of Your Damn Mind?' face. "Hell no, Annie. I'm going to take a very, very slight risk to make sure you're out safe, and then I'm getting out. The world shouldn't be burdened with losing me…it'd just be…too hard a blow. There's already enough suffering out there. The world needs Jeff Winger in it."

Annie rolled her eyes. Typical Jeff.

Jeff sighed heavily, and when Annie turned back to look at him, the exhaustion on his face was clear. She had just realized more bad news that she had to break to him as well.

"Jeff?"

"Yeah, Annie?"

"I lost my keys."

_Dammit_.

"Ok, Annie…we're going to have to alter things a little. We've gotta hit the study room before we go."

Annie crinkled her nose at this. Staying in where the…thing was sounded like a bad idea. "Jeff! Why are we going back to the study room? One last look at our old hangout before we get eviscerated, or just tied down and it reads its bad shadow scorpion thingy poetry to us? We don't know what it wants with us, and I think we should just get clear! I just figured I'd mention my keys so that you could give me a ride, or something."

Jeff squeezed his eyes closed, and scrunched his face, tension headache coming on strong. "Annie…I don't exactly have MY keys either."

"Oh, come ON, Jeff. I've seen you with keys tonight. What kind of game are you playing? Make Annie feel scared? Not going to work."

Jeff's look of disbelieving disdain was almost tangible. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the keys Annie had seen him unlocking school doors with. "You mean THESE keys, Annie?! Are these the ones you're talking about? Do you see a Lexus key on them anywhere? Huh?! Do you?!" Jeff was dangling the keys by their ring with one hand, shaking them in her direction, metal jingling against metal. His other hand was occupied with rubbing the bridge of his nose, his eyes screwed tightly shut.

"Damn tension headaches…I blame you for these! I never got them before you and I got all buddy buddy!" he opened his eyes long enough to shoot her an accusing look.

She wasn't taking that…he couldn't insult her and expect her to just roll over.

"That's because no one had made you do honest work before! Life's a bit more stressful when you can't just BS your way through it, isn't it, Mr. 'Fly By The Seat Of His Pants?'"

Jeff didn't have a retort for that. He was leaning on the shelves they were using as a makeshift barricade and obstacle, should their mysterious stalker make an appearance. He was supported by one arm bearing most of his weight, and his right hand had returned to massaging his head, now moving its attention towards his temples. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Annie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I just got frustrated, and it's been a long night. That wasn't how I should have responded, especially not to you."

Annie nodded, even though he obviously couldn't see her doing so. She put her hands gently on his hips and gave a gentle pull away from the shelves.

"Come here."

He dropped his hand from his face, and looked at her. "What's up?" Annie just smiled up at him, and now that there was a hand free, she grabbed onto it, and tugged him towards the back wall. He didn't offer any actual resistance beyond the inertia imparted by his own weight, which meant she still had to put forth a decent amount of effort.

Once her back had contacted the wall, maintaining a hold on his hand, she allowed herself to slide down into a cross-legged position, and worked to situate him in front of her, with his back to her. Her mind flitted to earlier that evening, back at the lockers, when their positions had been reversed. So much had happened between now and then…some good, some bad.

She reached up to the back of his head, sinking her fingers into his short hair right near the base of his skull.

"Jeff, I'm really, really sorry."

"For what, Annie? I'm the one who was getting aggressive and yelling at you."

"Well, right, but I'm more sorry for this…it's going to hurt like the devil. Just hold completely still."

With that, Annie took a tight grip on the muscles right at the base of Jeff's skull, right where the neck joined with the head. She worked the knotted spots back and forth, exerting as much pressure as she could with her fingers. Jeff, for his part, gasped with the sudden pain, and then proceeded to alternate between further pained gasps and what sounded to Annie like something that could only be described as a cross between a groan and a pitiable whimper. Neither one could possibly be considered a sound of pleasure. To his credit, Jeff held stock still and allowed Annie to do her work.

After about 45 seconds of this, Annie's hand began cramping up, and she released her hold on Jeff's neck muscles. Jeff slouched backwards as soon as she let go, like a puppet with its strings cut.

"So, how's your head now?" Annie smiled down at the large man who had ended up slumped across her lap and chest.

Jeff blinked a few times, as if just waking up prior to responding. "Holy crap, Annie…you were right. That hurt like hell, but my headache's gone!"

"Yeah, I figured out that set of tense muscles when I was younger…nothing was working, and I just stumbled across those. Since I still get tension headaches, I'm pretty grateful to have discovered that spot. Painkillers tend not to work on that sort of pain, and I don't like taking pills anyway, cause of…y'know." Annie did a bobbling motion with her head, showing she expected Jeff to mentally fill in the blanks where she'd trailed off.

Jeff pulled himself into a more comfortable sitting position, but kept a fair amount of his weight on Annie. In order to do so, he couldn't sit fully upright, as her cross-legged position would keep him well away from her at that point, and he really wanted to be close to her at the moment. After everything that had happened that night…he'd come to a startling revelation, and he looked forward to sharing it with Annie when the right moment came. For now, he'd settle for being close to her again, after pushing her away so recently. He almost felt like he and Annie were on a ridiculous sort of see-saw…each propelling the other up and down repeatedly. It was completely frustrating…

Jeff felt a light push on his back. Annie was trying to move him away from her. Apparently she didn't feel the same way about being close that he did. No big surprise after recent events there. Jeff had long known that unless he strove to be perfect…perfect body, perfect dress, perfectly cool, he'd be undesirable. Tonight, he'd been extremely un-perfect, so it only made sense that Annie would want to get a little space.

Her breath came warm on his ear as she leaned down and whispered, "Sit up, and scoot back towards me as much as you can, but lean a little forward."

Jeff complied with instructions, and as he did so, he asked, voice tinged with regret, "When did we get so out of sync, Annie?"

Annie's brows knitted together. Jeff sounded unhappy with something, and she hadn't really noticed any lack of sync. She ran her hands down his back, feeling the knotted muscles. No wonder he had tension headaches…Jeff was known for his body, which meant he worked out constantly, putting enough pressure on his muscles, adding stress on top of that…

At least it was nice to look at, even under a shirt.

Still, this could get a lot nicer for both of them. Annie let her hands drop to the hem of his shirt and started lifting.

"Annie? What are you doing?"

She poked him in the side with a single finger. "Arms up, Shirt off."

"Arms up? Are you mugging me?"

Of course, he would be cracking wise right now. "Jeff, could you just follow my lead for once without making a big deal about it?"

The answer to that, of course is no, as Annie soon had confirmed when Jeff turned his head and quirked an eyebrow at her. "If I take of MY shirt, will you be returning the favor?"

Annie let the innuendo and charm of his crooked grin make the butterflies in her stomach flap around for a moment before she caught herself and slapped his arm. "Jeff! Don't be gross!"

Still, even though he'd groused about it, and continued grumbling about turnabout being 'fair play,' Jeff pulled his shirt over his head, and Annie's butterflies morphed into hummingbirds, doing complex aerial stunts in her ribcage. Annie'd seen him shirtless before, more than once, but in a situation like this…where he'd taken his shirt off at her instruction, not for a wardrobe adjustment, not because it was covered in paint, but because she'd told him to.

She prayed she didn't faint as she ran her palms up his bare back, and found the exact opposite was true. She was more aware than she could remember ever being before. She'd have to make a mental note to track down Professor Whitman, and tell him she'd finally figured out what it meant to 'live in the moment.' Her hands tracked up to his shoulder blades, and then, gently placing her thumbs right at the edge, she dug them upward and in, hard.

Jeff gasped and shied away, slightly. Annie let go with her right hand to grab his shoulder, and pull him backwards while maintaining her pressure on the muscles under his left shoulder blade with her left hand. He hissed as he sucked in a breath, and choked out "Annie…what are you doing?"

"It's called a massage, Jeff. Just because I don't have oils or a table doesn't mean it's not therapeutic."

"Yeah, but this is agonizing!"

She drew her lips together in a thin line…"Oh, stop whining, you big baby. It wouldn't hurt so much if you didn't internalize your stress so much, or if you'd get the occasional massage to work these kinks out more frequently."

By now, she'd lessened the pressure, and was working on a more gentle rubout. He turned at the neck again to be able to see her in his peripheral vision. She kept her gaze focused on his back, but could hear the grin when he asked "Are you volunteering for such duty?"

_Oh Jeff…always a charmer._

Annie looked up and caught his single visible eye directly with hers. The butterflies-turned-hummingbirds got bigger. What came next? Annie blanked…ospreys? Ostriches? Screw it…whatever was next in the giddy stomach feelings chart was where she was.

"If you'd want me to, sure Jeff…I'll give you massages."

She'd caught him off-guard, from the surprised look on his face. Annie may be inexperienced, but she wasn't dumb…so she offered him a easy method back into territory familiar to him.

"Of course, if you'd ever like to return the favor, I wouldn't say no to you using those ridiculously big hands of yours to give _me_ a massage…getting good grades is stressful. Not to mention living with Troy and Abed."

There…if he couldn't take such a blatantly flirty hint, he was…well, she wouldn't even worry about it. He'd take the hint.

"So…if I give you one, does YOUR shirt come off too?"

Hook, line…

"Jeff Winger, are you making a pass at me?"

He turned around at the waist this time, making full eye contact with her, rather than the corner of one of his eyes straining to meet hers.

"What would you think of me if I was?"

She used both of her hands to grab his sides, and twist him back so his back faced her, thrilling at grabbing him so boldly, and noting that he lightly squirmed and chuckled when she released his sides, and slowly slid her fingers off of them. Ticklish…mental note for the future.

"Jeff, would you really care what I thought about your hitting on me? I thought one of your fundamental characteristics was that you didn't care what people thought about you?"

Jeff turned his head again…Annie had the odd thought that his headache would come back if he kept doing that. Turning like that flexed the muscles she'd rubbed out. She shunted this thought to the side for the time being.

"Annie? Are you for real? Look around this room."

Annie looked…storage room. Ok. Nothing special.

Her blank look must have been obvious, because here came the Winger speech.

"Annie, look at everything tonight. We started out in the study room, where I told you about how I had played out my own fantasies of us being married. I figured it would comfort you, and maybe touch you a little. Instead, it made you feel like you'd been made a fool of. I felt terrible about that. I wanted it to be an uplifting moment between us, and instead you slapped me, and it made it feel like there was a wedge driven in our relationship."

Annie nodded, noting that Jeff had used the dreaded r-word. She tried to keep calm…she was pretty sure Jeff would use that for whatever existed between him and Abed, or him and Pierce. They had a relationship with each of the other study group members. He didn't have to mean a romantic relationship. She kept rubbing his back while he spoke, causing him to occasionally flinch and draw a hissing breath when she'd encounter a knot that required more pressure.

"Then we went to the Dean's office…and we got back on track when I told you the different things that made me consider you my best friend. I felt amazing seeing how much it touched you, and you completely validated all my feelings. That's a happy moment I'll be saving in my memory, even if I'll deny ever getting this sappy about it." Jeff's cynicism was perfectly timed…Annie had just found a nasty knot, and pushed at it with a little more vigor than may have been necessary. She could tweak him in her own ways…

"Ok, Annie…I get it. I'll try not to be so jaded about happy stuff between us" Annie just smiled, knowing he couldn't see her with his head facing forward, and that she could communicate with him without saying a word.

"Then we were off to your old 'field hospital,' where I showed you how you had changed me for the better, and how I took your advice with journaling. Again, your response made me feel incredible. You felt like I had really listened to you…because I had, and you were happy that I had, and that made ME happy. That's not something I'm used to, Annie! Then you dragged me out by the lockers, and you had your little chat with me, which ended with the two of us snuggling in the moonlight. I'm not going to lie…I've never done anything like that before."

By now, Annie had stopped rubbing, completely wrapped up in Jeff's narrative, recapping their night so far. Things were very interesting when she got them from Jeff's perspective, all at once, rather than reacting to each event as it occurred. It's the sort of thing she'd often do on her own, after the end of a day…and Annie knew that Jeff's plan for the evening wasn't over, just temporarily disrupted. This gave her a whole new view on what was happening tonight.

"Then outside the cafeteria…I told you how you'd helped me realize that maybe with the right woman, getting married and maybe having kids wouldn't be such a bad thing. Maybe my father leaving my family doesn't mean I have to be so self-protective to the point of denying myself something that other people seem to aggressively chase. Maybe they know something I don't. Maybe the fact that divorce rates are at record highs doesn't automatically mean I have to be a statistic if I ever decide to take that step…and a large part of that realization is thanks to you."

Jeff had stood by now, and offered his hand to her, to pull her up.

"And then I told you that you're important to me, and I proceeded to insult you when you just tried to be a little affectionate to me." With this, Jeff's expression clouded over. Annie had the distinct impression that even though she'd been hurt and humiliated by the situation, Jeff might hurt more in the long-term.

"I hated how I made you feel, but I had a plan I had to carry out…and that didn't fit in it. And I hurt you. And that was just after you'd told _me_ how you knew there was something real in my heart…when most people, including myself, constantly reaffirm that I don't have a heart." Jeff's eyes were clearly clouding up now.

"Still, you stuck with me, and even though things were tense between us in the cafeteria, which yes…made me unhappy, you didn't run out on me. You trusted me and stayed. And then just prior to us rushing in here, I figured telling you that there was a *_sigh_* 'Annie Of It All' would make you happy again…but instead you decided you hated me. I think that's what hurt most of all. We may fight now and then…or all the time, but I don't ever want you to hate me."

"Jeff…I don't hate you. I'm sorry I said that, but I _was_ really upset with you."

Jeff pulled his shirt back over his head, managing a wry smile when he noticed Annie pouting at his chest being covered again.

"You said you WERE mad at me…what changed?"

Annie pondered for just a second, and started answering, not wholly sure of her own answer. "I just never seem to stay mad at you. You do things I hate sometimes, and you hurt me…but I know you don't do it on purpose. You're not malicious, just selfish. And you really seem to be less selfish all the time, at least with me. So, I guess I give you a lot of leeway, and forgive you easily. I know you're a good person, and you'll end up doing the right thing the majority of the time."

Jeff nodded at her…he wasn't crying, but his eyes certainly weren't dry.

"So, again, Jeff…why are you telling me all this?"

Jeff cocked his head and gave her a quizzical expression. "Seriously, Annie? Remember what I said? Look around this room."

Annie looked around again…chewing on her lower lip. She felt like she was being tested.

"Do I need to start singing George Michael?"

Oh God! The election! Jeff's last comment made it all so obvious. This is where he hid after she humiliated him, and where they'd apologized to each other.

"Annie, all night long I've been trying to make thing right between us, and hoped to give you a memory that would end up being something really special…and it seems like I screw more up than I end up fixing."

Jeff paused for a moment, but Annie could tell he wasn't done. Once again, he caught her eyes dead on.

"I care what you think about me."

Annie faintly nodded…everything Jeff had said in here was hitting her in an entirely different light now. She was starting to see how much trouble he'd been going through to try to do something nice for her, even if she didn't understand his reasoning behind each individual event.

"Yeah, well, I care what _you _think about _me_" she replied…knowing that reversing their positions from the conversation their sophomore year was the next step they both needed.

"Well, Annie…I think you may be the best person I know. You're competitive and driven, but not mean-spirited. I don't think there's an evil bone in your body."

Annie blushed…something about Jeff just made her feel...loved.

"Well, sir, you may have done some bad things in the past, but I'm firmly convinced that part of you is dead and gone." Annie noted, with a prim nod in his direction. "Look what you did with Neil. Look what you did when the Dean had his crisis with his commercial. When any one of us in the group has a real issue. Jeff…you're a good man."

Jeff smiled at her. It was a cocky smile, but a genuinely happy one. "As long as I have you to prod me to do the right thing."

Annie smiled back. "You always will."

Something in her voice made Jeff start. Still, he went forward with what he knew he had to say next…it was only proper when it came to reliving this memory.

"Resolved?"

Annie nodded. "Resolved."

Then, like in their second year, they pulled each other into a tight hug. Annie felt Jeff's hands exploring her back, giving gentle pressure in some of the areas she'd found the hardest knots located in his back earlier…trying to return the favor in little ways already.

This time, when the hug broke apart, unlike the last time they were here, he wasn't wearing a jacket for her to grasp the lapels of, so she had to fist his shirt instead.

This time, the door wasn't open for Pierce, with a fresh pencil-stabbing wound to walk by and interrupt them.

This time, there wasn't anything to stop their kiss. The second kiss they'd had tonight, and in the same room. Jeff may have initiated it by leaning forward, and turning his head, but Annie had been praying for it, and signaling as best she could by grabbing his shirt even after the hug.

The minute their lips touched, both of them opened their mouths, each of them sending their tongue to seek the other. When they met, it wasn't sloppy, or fevered, but a gentle greeting, communicating the desire for this further intimacy beyond a simple kiss one might give to someone they liked, but felt nothing deeper for. They flicked and caressed, each trying to communicate without words the need to express a singular feeling towards the other. Their bodies pressed together as firmly as they were able, trying to memorize the shape of the other.

When they finally broke apart after several minutes, Annie kept her arms around Jeff's neck, lightly playing with his hair, and occasionally giving a firmer rub to the still tight muscles there, hoping to help prevent a further headache. "I thought you said kissing me was a mistake?" she asked, biting her lip while she waited for his answer…for once, completely unsure of how he'd respond.

"Annie…it is. It's a total mistake." The sincerity in his voice hurt, but something in Jeff's eyes convinced her to wait and see what he added. He didn't disappoint when he started talking again.

"Thing is, so was penicillin. So was the study group. But I realized just recently that I don't care anymore. I went for SO long denying myself anything I thought might be bad for me, and ended up with high cholesterol anyway. I ended up missing out on quite a bit that I may have enjoyed, and didn't even reap the rewards in the end."

Annie nodded at him…she was starting to like where he was going with this.

"Annie…I have to actively avoid kissing you. I've wanted to do it quite a few times and denied myself, because I was convinced it was the wrong thing to do, or I'd end up hurting you, or ruining you. But fact is…I LIKE kissing you, and you're too strong for me to really ruin. I have to be more worried that you'll end up destroying ME."

With that, he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, as if to prove his point.

"I'm not really that worried about you having an adverse effect on me though, Annie. Do you remember why Abed forced himself into the 'Han' role during Second Paintball?"

Annie was nearly breathless from all the new information Jeff was laying on her. It was almost too much to handle. She steadied herself, and replied. "Yeah…he said if he didn't, you'd slouch into it by default."

Jeff grinned. "Right, because Han is a natural match for my personality, wouldn't you say?"

Annie couldn't help but agree. Jeff gave her another quick kiss. It was nearly addictive now that he'd allowed himself to break his old promise to hold off.

"Like Han, I'm a cynical old jerk who's lost his idealism. You, however, are the young Princess who's still an idealist. Guess who converts who at the end?"

Annie knew…Jeff was giving her credit for his improvements over the years, at least in part.

"Jeff, I'm not sure what to say…"

"How about, I say 'C'mon, we've hung out in here long enough,' then you say 'Ok'?"

Annie didn't comply…but agreed by nodding mutely.

"Stay here, I'm going to peek out and see if our friend is anywhere out there."

Jeff left Annie in the back of the room and strode forward. He neared the door, and as he put his hand on the handle, Annie realized that if the 'monster' WAS out there, this may be her only chance.

"Jeff!"

He turned his head to look at her.

"I love you."

She got the words out without them catching in her throat, and without her feeling embarrassed of them, or like a schoolgirl with a crush. She was an adult woman, and she didn't need to be ashamed of loving a man.

He grinned at her, cheeks flushing slightly.

"I know."

Even though it wasn't the same as him saying it back to her…there was something comforting in his cockiness remaining, even in the face of potential danger, and his emotional revelations of the evening. He manipulated the handle, and pulled the door open.

Nothing waited in the doorway. He stepped out in the halls, and giving his eyes a few moments to adjust to the much lower light, he looked around, then ducked his head back in.

"Looks all clear, Princess."

Again with the new nicknames. At least this one matched the little role-play they'd flirted with over the past few minutes. Annie dashed forward, and grabbed his hand, returning to their interlaced fingers from before the evening had taken downturns.

"Good…then you won't mind if I lead for a bit."

And before he could protest, she dragged him off down the hall.

* * *

A/N: Tension headaches: I started getting these when I entered my major program, and realized the majority of my professors had philosophies diametrically opposed to my own. The remedy listed is the one I discovered worked for me, and like in the story, it is the ONLY remedy I found that worked.

Next chapter: I'm about to head out on a family vacation that's going to limit my writing...all depends on how much I can convince my wife she needs to drive, and how "in the groove" I can get. Next chapter may be delayed though.

Length: We're getting close to the end, and given the format of the story, I don't want to break up or combine chapters. I also have the majority of events in the story planned in advance, believe it or not. Filler (non-story critical) dialogue, and minor touches + any alterations are the things I don't already know about before I start a chapter, and they can add or subtract a lot to the length. I fully expected this chapter to be the shortest, and it ended up being the longest. That said, we'll hopefully be in for some chapters where I'm gifted with brevity...


	10. Chapter 10

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 5225  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

"This isn't the study room."

"And YOU'RE the one who got their college degree early…astounding." Annie shot Jeff a withering look, but softened it up with a slight curl of her lips after a few seconds. Jeff found Annie's smile addictive, but her banter and teasing was his bread and butter, and he could always give as good as he got.

"Look, I told you that if you needed to go, you needed to before we left, and I followed my own advice. We aren't pulling over now…you'll just have to wait until we get there." Jeff locked eyes with Annie, giving her a look that bespoke both amusement and concern with their current situation.

"Jeff, be serious."

"I AM being serious. Now, behave…or I'll turn this evening around, and we'll go home, and then there'll be no Disneyland for anyone, missy!" It was clear to Annie that Jeff was in fact, not taking this seriously.

"Je-e-e-ff! Annie whined, drawing out his name in a familiar manner Jeff found both obnoxious and endearing.

"Annie" Jeff rejoined "I have my suspicions why you dragged us in here, but I'm going to pretend I don't until you spell them out for me. For now, I'm just going to give you my 'I'm getting impatient look,' and point out that again, this isn't the study room, my car keys _probably_ aren't in a stall here, and even though we didn't see it, that…_thing_ is probably still out there."

Annie slowly approached Jeff where he was leaning against the counter. "Jeff, you promised we were going to talk about this." She mirrored Jeff's gesture from the storage room, pointing back and forth between them.

Jeff kept silent while Annie continued closing the distance between him. Once she was in his personal space, she took advantage of his lowered position, slouching against the counter, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jeff…you'd better not use the same cop out you did last time." Annie gently warned. She didn't feel any trepidation about being so upfront with him after how things had proceeded so recently. In the storage room, he'd claimed their kiss was a mistake, but then proceeded to tell her he didn't care anymore, and repeatedly kissed her prior to her dragging her off here.

"Sorry, Annie. I stand by what I said before. Relationships are complicated, and we're in the Men's room…" Jeff gave Annie an odd look, turning his head to the side to regard her out of the corner of his eye. As he felt her drawing her face in closer, he stood, gently pulling himself out of her embrace, and began pacing the small room.

Annie didn't fail to notice the less-than-subtle move Jeff made to avoid the kiss, which she had intended on planting on him, as she figured her body language had been clearly communicating. He'd promised an end to mixed signals, and kissed her while telling her it was a mistake. She'd told him she loved him, and he'd given her the Han Solo treatment…which she had to admit, was pretty endearing, and not a little bit sexy. She loved Jeff's blatant confidence, to the point that she'd slightly embarrassed herself when the Dean had "body-swapped" with Jeff. She couldn't help it…his 'in your face, I know I'm awesome' attitude was hot.

Jeff continued pacing, keeping a wary eye on the door, which Annie decided to try to comfort him on…if she ever wanted to get the focus of his attention in her, she'd have to force the issue, and make herself a bigger problem than their fear of a creature that was feeling like a less substantial threat from moment to moment. She had two ways to go about this. She could make herself a larger nuisance, thus demanding Jeff's immediate attention to deal with her, or she could try to diminish the other problem actively occupying him. The former had proven effective in the past, but it was a route Annie was actively trying to avoid. She needed to get past the phase in her life where she'd get the reactions she wanted by yelling, screaming, or tossing drinks in faces. So, the latter choice…at least at first. If it didn't work, she'd reevaluate.

"Jeff…you need to relax. You didn't see that thing when you stepped out to see if it was safe to leave the storage room, did you?"

"No, no sign of it…but the room _was_ well lit, and my eyes hadn't completely adjusted yet. Plus, you saw it back in the hallway, when we'd been out long enough for our night-vision to come on. It was difficult to see even then!"

Annie stood directly in Jeff's path. The small area available for movement made it tough for him to get around her, and he stopped, folding his arms to match hers.

"Jeff, even if we were still night blind, it was pretty obvious when it was following us TO the storage room…we'd have seen it while we were running here." Annie smiled up at him and ran her hands up his arms, from his elbows to his shoulders. "I want to talk about this now. Besides, you already decided we could outrun this thing if it came up on us."

Jeff was clearly mulling things over, Annie just kept pouring on the doe eyes, biting her lower lip while she waited for Jeff's assent. Of course…if he didn't give it, she'd have to figure a new way to push.

Jeff nodded. "Fine…but if it comes, we run. And you let me put myself between you and it, do you understand me?"

Annie bounced a little, and smiled up at the tall man. "So, is this another sign of 'new Jeff?' I still think you're planning on doing something stupidly noble if anything bad happens."

Jeff glared at her. "Annie, I am never noble at the risk of me or my inherent handsomeness. It just so happens that, while you're tough…which I've found out first hand, but you pretty much always caught me off guard too. Fact of the matter is…look at these guns. I flatter myself that I can handle a potentially dangerous situation better than you."

Annie faked an overly dramatic swoon as she felt his admittedly impressive arms, earning a crooked grin from Jeff. "So…how about that talk now, Jeff?"

Shaking his head, Jeff lightly chuckled. "You're slightly pathological. You know that, right?"

Annie's lips pressed to a thin line "I don't really think there's a way I can take that and not be insulted…"

"Well, Annie…I guess it all depends on how you take it. We've been hanging out at a deserted campus all night-"

"This has been _your_ idea, Jeff."

"Been in several fights and made up-"

"I think most of those were your fault too."

"Followed by God only knows what-"

"Ok, I can't blame that one on you. Not yet, anyway…"

"And we're in a room I typically consider off-limits for conversation, and you want to have a 'define the relationship' chat! You're obsessed!"

Annie's brows furrowed, then she brightly came back with "Not obsessed…passionate."

Jeff's eyes grew wide as he turned back to face Annie head on. "No. You are not going to Nic Cage me here… Bad Annie!"

Annie smiled as she reached her face up and kissed Jeff lightly on the cheek. Now that they were in a lit bathroom, she liked seeing the flush spreading after she did. He turned, and stepped away before she could make more progress towards getting another shot at his lips. He hadn't seemed to want to stop kissing her in the storage room, but hadn't made even the slightest move to kiss her once they got in here. Was he upset that she took charge? Was his delicate male ego bruised or something?

Oh, God…did she have bad breath?!

No matter what the reason was, she was determined to figure out what caused this massive change in attitude. She couldn't handle the hot and cold anymore. First he'd promised he wouldn't send mixed signals, and then he couldn't resist her advances, now he didn't want to touch her. She thought back to her talk with Abed in the Dreamatorium. It was true that she wanted to be loved, and it was true that she felt if she could get Jeff, an avowed lifelong bachelor on board with that, then she was fairly certain that she'd be able to repeat the process again if she ever needed to (as in, if they ever, heaven forbid, broke up.)

Of course, it was really more than that. She actually loved Jeff…it wasn't just that he was a challenge that would test her skills. He was amazing looking, and intelligent, and his self-confidence was—

"Hello…earth to Annie Edison. Can you hear me, Major Tom?"

Annie shook herself out of her sudden contemplation. "Who's Major Tom?"

Jeff just chuckled at Annie's youth compared to his own age. She may be mature for her years, but there was definitely a cultural divide there.

"So…you love me, huh?"

Annie composed herself, pulling her cardigan downward to straighten it and pull out any wrinkles out of habit, more than anything. She drew herself up to her full height and looked Jeff right in the eye. "Yes, I do. Is that a problem, Councilor Winger?"

Jeff shook his head at her, "No, not a problem…depending on if you mean it, or if this is just something you've seized on, and won't let go of. How do you know you love me? If I recall correctly, you had a little bit of an obsession with Troy when we all first started out here…then you were about to run away with Vaughn. In both cases, you let go of your feelings for them pretty quickly. How do you know that isn't going to happen with me just as easily?"

Annie was startled by the steel in Jeff's voice. She got the distinct impression he wasn't asking for his health…he actually wanted answers, and he was leaning back against the counter again, arms folded, expectant look directed her way.

"Fine, I guess I wanted to talk, that gives you the right to ask questions too. So, here goes. Might as well get comfy."

Jeff's only response was to make a show of getting more comfortable in his lean against the counter, and cocking an eyebrow.

"You sure you're ready for this, Jeff?"

"Lay it on me, baby."

"Fine. Back when I was in high school, yes, Troy matched a certain number of factors that made him…quite desirable to me. He was popular, good-looking, confident…is hearing this description feeling at all like déjà vu, Jeff?" Annie waited for Jeff to respond to her, but when he remained still in his position, and just continued giving her a look that felt like he was interrogating her with his eyes, Annie decided to just move on.

"The problems with Troy were, he was completely self absorbed-"

"Was?!"

"I'm getting to that, Jeff, don't interrupt if you aren't going to even respond when I clearly want you to. Anyway, Troy was the quintessential high school sports star, and I was the least popular person in school, even before my Adderall breakdown. Of course he was everything I wanted. He was a big fish in a small pond. Then, we came here to Greendale…and my affection for him came with me. I don't really think you can blame me for still having a thing for Troy when I hadn't had a chance to see what else…or who else was there that might be better?"

At this, Jeff's eyes opened wide. Annie had a sinking feeling she'd said the wrong thing, but she decided to run with it, to try to dig herself out of the hole she felt she'd managed to get into.

"So, when our first semester made it very, very clear that not only would Troy and I never get together, I'd also figured out that I didn't really want that anymore anyway."

"Why not? What changed?"

Annie felt some small amount of relief. Jeff's voice was still hard, but he didn't sound as irritated as he had just moments previously.

"I did, Jeff. I may have been young, and compared to someone as ancient as yourself, I'm still young—" Annie briefly paused to give an overly sweet smile to respond to Jeff's growing glare at Annie's casual age comment. "but I'm not as young as I was. I know this may come as a shock, but I've actually learned a few things during my time here at Greendale. I've learned what it means to have friends, and to be accepted. I've learned that sometimes I have to put my own goals and desires aside for the people I care about, and I've learned what sort of person I really want when it comes to finding who I want to be with. It isn't the star athlete who's completely full of himself, and reminds me of the bad times."

Jeff's look had turned to one of concern, so Annie tried to answer what she assumed were his unanswered questions.

"Yes, I know my relationship with Troy has changed a lot over the past few years…and the high school me would have thrilled at the idea of living with him, but simply put, he isn't the same anymore, and neither am I. He may not be totally self-absorbed anymore, and he may be one of my best friends in the world, but by the time we reached that point, we'd developed way too much of a fraternal relationship. You just don't fall for a sibling like that, Jeff. Troy and I just weren't ever meant to be, and that doesn't bother me."

Jeff allowed Annie a single, shallow nod, conceding the Troy point to her. "Ok, now what about the shirtless wonder?"

"Vaughn was…special. At that point, I'd given up on Troy, and even though I had kissed you at the debate, there was some serious awkwardness between us, plus you had your fill of drama going on between Britta and Slater. So, when Vaughn started paying attention to me…it felt good. I may have been keeping things going slow in some respects, but we moved pretty quickly in others. Our physical relationship never really developed beyond kissing, but I may have gotten overly emotionally attached to him fairly quickly, otherwise I never would have agreed to move to Maryland with him. I think you and I both knew when we saw each other outside the Tranny Dance that I'd made the right move by coming back."

Annie was surprised to find that she felt the sensation of tears tracking down her cheeks after this last confession. She hadn't expected this level of emotion just from going over her old romantic interests, but there was something visceral about baring herself to Jeff so bluntly that struck a nerve. She took a tentative step away from the stalls, and towards him, and he brought his posture slightly more upright, simultaneously widening his stance.

That was all the signal Annie needed. She didn't rush, but simply continued walking forward. When she was a step away from him, he unfolded his arms, and wrapped them around her as she pressed into him. She didn't sob, but a tear occasionally escaped her eyes, soaking into Jeff's shirt. Her emotions were so chaotic she really didn't know what she was feeling. Jeff had made her feel like nothing else could go wrong in her life back in the storage room when he'd told her that he had to force himself to avoid getting physical with her, but that he was tired of it…and then they got into the men's room, and he'd gone right back into avoiding her. He had her bare her feelings to him, seemingly dispassionate as he listened, but when she started cracking, he was right there to comfort her.

Annie pulled back, emotions back in check. Was this really all she needed? Could her internal demons always be quelled by something as simple as Jeff holding her? He didn't need to say anything, he didn't need to do anything except be there…and Annie could only hope that it could always be this easy. Even more than that, she hoped she'd have the chance for such an easy solution to even be available to her. Jeff's endgame was completely unclear to her at this point.

"Doing ok?" Jeff's voice was gentle. Annie looked up at him and nodded. "Good. So…you've told me why things didn't end up working out for you with Troy or Vaughn, but I still want to hear why you think you love me."

Annie felt slightly attacked by the doubtful tone in his voice. "What, you don't think I love you?"

"I think that I've learned to be a bit cautious about believing women who declare their love for me. Also…I'm cautious about believing people in general who declare their love for me." Jeff stated matter of factly, the look on his face making it clear to Annie that he felt the allusions he was making should be obvious.

Annie made a hurt huffing sound and began a quick pace in front of the counter, back and forth, back and forth. After a few rounds, she decided to attack back, and came to a halt.

"Jeff! That was a low, unfair blow. I'm not Britta or Professor Slater, and I'm definitely not your father!"

Annie caught Jeff mumbling out "Thank God for _that_…" after she had finished with her first salvo. She wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. "Furthermore, you do not get to doubt my feelings for you just because other people have let you down. I shouldn't have to pay for their mistakes, and yes, I understand that your personality is shaped by your past…mine is too, but there is a BIG difference between your having lack of faith in people in general, and your specific doubt of me. I'd like to think after we've been friends for so long, and whatever the hell we've been for however the hell long we've been it, you'd be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt once in a while!"

Jeff didn't raise his lowered head, but he raised his eyes to meet her face. "Whatever the hell we've been?"

Annie shrugged. "You're the one inviting me to dances and on vacations. We've already covered the fact that we're pseudo-dating…haven't we? I don't know what to call us anymore, Jeff."

"Ok, so you love me…you still haven't told me why." Jeff kept his arms folded, and head down. Annie couldn't help it anymore, she approached him, and tried threading an arm through the crook of one of Jeff's folded arms, and leaning her cheek against his shoulder.

"Annie, back off."

"Excuse me?"

"Back the hell off right now, Annie!"

Annie was stunned…and released Jeff, and backed away, leaning against the stall divider directly across the room from him. She couldn't keep the hurt from her voice. "Jeff, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Jeff raised his head and gave her an absolutely humiliating look, one that bespoke Jeff's scorn that she hadn't already figured everything out. "Well, Annie…as I've mentioned before, relationships are complicated, and we're in the Men's Room, and –"

"That's enough! I'm pretty damn tired of that line…" Annie interrupted Jeff before he could finish echoing himself from their fight years previously. "So, now what?"

Jeff rolled his eyes, and pressed his lips together in a thin line, and after appearing to gather himself for a few seconds, spoke, sounding exhausted as he repeated his earlier words. "You still haven't told me why…"

Annie felt something like rage shooting through her body. And he called her pathological earlier…he wouldn't let up on a simple question. She balled her fists, and stamped her heel out of sheer frustration. "Fine! You want me to lay it on you? Buckle up, buttercup! I love you because you're one of the best looking guys I know. Shallow, yeah, but you're hot…and I like it, deal with it! I love you because you're a grownup, but so incredibly immature at times that you make people like Troy and Abed feel comfortable playing their dumb pretend games with you, and YES, Jeff Winger, I know sometimes you snark at them, but sometimes you play right along if you don't think anyone else is watching. That's right! I know you decorated the 'Christmas Troy,' and showed them your idea of what krumping was! Secret's out, baby!"

Annie paused for a breath…this felt pretty good.

"I love you because as hard as you try to be a selfish asshole, I know that you're a good man, who would do anything for his friends. I love you for your stupid, stupid obsessive clothes habits, even when it means you're making me stand in the cold because your damn jacket might get a wrinkle in a sleeve or something. I love you for all the dumb random adventures we've had together, whether they turned out well or not. I love you because you always call me on my crap, even if it means I'm mad at you for a while. I love you because you always push me to be a better person…"

"Jeff, God…I just love YOU. Is that ok with you, or do I have to keep justifying it?" Annie allowed herself to come to a stop, feeling like she might be overloading Jeff with her sudden outburst. She took a tentative step closer, and saw a tear at the corner of his eye.

"Annie? What if I got fat? Or lost my hair? Or got disfigured, somehow?" Annie could hear a note of actual fear in Jeff's voice. Was it possible that he felt he was only cared for because he was good-looking?

"Jeff…c'mon, don't be silly. If you got fat, you and I would start running together. Go bald? Hair plugs…this is easy stuff here."

Jeff looked up, and there was a dangerous look in his eyes. "Annie, I'm serious. If I lost my looks, how quickly would I lose you after that?"

Annie was taken slightly aback at the realization that her previous supposition wasn't only possible, but looked to be true.

"Jeff…even if you were a quadriplegic bald guy who ended up looking like Jim Belushi, I'd still love you as long as you stayed you. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not attracted to your looks…but there's lots of good looking guys out there. You just happen to be a really good looking guy on top of the person I love, ok?"

Jeff's eyes had grown wide, and he shook his head to clear it. "Man…we've got to stop picking on that guy."

Annie smiled. "So…I convince you that I love you?"

Jeff smiled back, nodding. "Yeah…you love me. I never should have doubted you…I mean, look at me."

Annie felt relieved…Jeff was back. She took another step towards him, only for Jeff to hold up a warning hand. "Annie, I told you to stay back."

Ok…enough was enough here. She'd earned at least a hug after that!

"Jeff…what is going on? You get done telling me how you've had to hold back from kissing me before, and now you won't even let me hug you, even after I tell you what an amazing guy you are? I'd think I'd have earned it there!"

Jeff squeezed his eyes together tightly, as if in pain. "Ok, Annie…let me finish here. Like I've tried to say several times already. Relationships are complicated, and we're in the Men's Room, and I am NOT going to make out with you in here."

Annie was paralyzed by this new information…it wasn't about her at all, but…the room? She blinked a couple of times, and formed a perfect 'o' with her mouth.

"Ohhhhhh. That makes perfect sense."

Jeff nodded, "Yeah, truth be told, I actually try NOT to spend as much time in public restrooms as we've already spent in here tonight…so if we can get moving, maybe we can get somewhere where I don't feel like I have to keep you at arm's length to avoid doing something that shouldn't be done in a room with self-flushing urinals."

Annie nodded. "Yeah, but why didn't you say something earlier?"

Jeff just shrugged at her. "First of all, I tried, and second…you're the one who insisted we come in here in the first place. At least I got some good information out of it." He finished this statement off with a giant grin that Annie couldn't decide whether she found irritable, or cute in this situation.

"So, does this mean you're going to take charge again?" Annie offered him her hand to pull him away from the counter he had claimed as his territory for most of their time in this room.

Jeff's grin widened, "I am indeed. And you'd best just watch out, missy…for all the torture you gave me being all clingy while we were in here, there's no telling how long I'll be able to hold back once we're in a room that wouldn't be completely disgusting to let you cling to me in."

Annie felt the return of her infamous chest butterflies…as well as quickly reddening cheeks. "So, you have somewhere in mind, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, I do…and it's only a few minutes away."

"Lead the way then…I'm with you."

With that, Jeff and Annie stepped out of the bathroom…but as it turned out, Annie needed to wait more than a few minutes to find out their destination, since the moment they were out of the door, neither one could keep from attacking the other, leading to several minutes wasted as they took turns pressing the other against the wall, each one struggling for, and allowing the other dominance by turns. By the time they had finished their heated impromptu moment in the halls, Jeff realized they'd actually travelled a fair distance (in terms of movement during a makeout…really only a few steps while walking) in the wrong direction, and had to backtrack, passing the bathroom all over again, and giving each other ridiculous grins as they passed it.

* * *

A/N: Not going to lie...I'm not fond of this chapter. It's the story I intended to tell, with the big payoff being what I think is a half-decent laugh for one of my stories...plus, I got to address one of Jeff's deeper fears, that we see allusions to frequently (his obsession with his looks and his clothes stem from it,) but rarely directly...as far as I know, the biggest example was Jeff's Dinner with Abed. Pretty much everything was what I wanted...but something about it still feels off. Thus, I reserve the right to tweak this chapter. The story would remain the same, I might just unawkward (verbing is fun...) some dialogue and movement descriptions. Of course, I might just feel it's awkward because I consider the men's room a fairly strict "No talking" zone...Or, it might be because the bulk of this was written on vacation, and I wrote this in chunks when I wasn't busy enjoying Aspen...whatever it is, this may or may not be changed in the future.


	11. Chapter 11

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 5225  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

"Night school?" Annie cocked an eyebrow at Jeff, once they'd reached their destination. She was a little fuzzy headed from lack of sleep and endorphins, given that they'd barely taken time to come up for breath since leaving the bathroom, but she was starting to feel pretty good about everything.

Jeff didn't answer immediately, but instead looked around the room full of computers and printers, constantly running, and then walked towards the high-backed chair behind "Professor Professorson's" desk, and sat down in it with an air of great pleasure.

"You know, I still don't know what this room is even for" Jeff stated, with his hands clasped behind his head, clearly enjoying his relaxation. As he closed his eyes, he continued. "You'd think they'd have taken all this stuff down after that whole ruse was over."

The next thing Jeff knew, there was a weight settling on his lap. He opened his eyes to see that Annie had sat herself across his lap, and was looking directly in his eyes, with rather clear intent. Jeff knew this was a test to see if he'd push her away again, and he had no intentions of failing it. He let his hands unravel from behind his head, and resituated them around her waist, allowing him to both hold her, and provide some amount of support. As he did so, Jeff noted that some previously unnoticed tension drained out of Annie immediately.

Seeing Annie de-tense at his acceptance of her, or even just his lack of rejection stabbed Jeff at the core. He hadn't intended to hurt her…so much had happened tonight that hadn't been in his original, somewhat hastily cobbled together plan. He took the hand that was wrapped around Annie's back, and cupped her far shoulder, pulling her down into his chest.

Jeff sat in silence for a handful of moments, allowing Annie to get comfortable in her position against him, her fingers absently toying with the buttons and stitching on his shirt, Jeff using the hand he had previously wrapped around her back, and then used to pull her in closer to now gently stroke his fingers through her hair. Jeff marveled at the fact that after everything that had happened tonight, they were in this place…where their demonstration of physical affection came as second nature to them. There was no awkwardness or tension between them…everything just felt right.

Jeff felt Annie's voice against his chest as much as heard it in his ears. "Jeff?"

"Mmmhmm?"

"I really like this…" Annie's voice got small, contented.

"Well, Annie, just remember that the next time you take me into a room I normally consider used for the relief of a full bladder, and won't stay out of my personal space. Other areas will bring you much, much better luck than a bathroom…"

Annie responded by pinching Jeff's side, which resulted in him yelping, and grabbing the hand she'd pinched him with. She screwed up her face in determination, and freed her other hand to attack him. Her second hand was quickly captured by his loose hand, and with each of their hands occupied, struggling against the other's corresponding hand, fingers entwined, they battled for dominance for what felt like hours, although they both knew it was actually barely a minute. By the time Annie had exhausted herself, fighting against someone who had a natural advantage in strength, Jeff had found she had shifted her position for better leverage. She was now straddling him straight on, her upper body positioned above his, so he would have to fight against gravity as well as her effort if he wanted to win this little game.

As Annie looked down on him, her hair falling to brush the sides of his face, their eyes connected. As one, they released their hold on each other's hands, Annie's newly freed to cup Jeff's face, and grab his shoulder as they both raced to close the gap between their mouths. Jeff's left hand began a slow trail up and down Annie's back, from between her shoulder blades, down to the small of her back, while his right found an entirely new home supporting her weight by cupping Annie's ass. This new, far more intimate touch than either was used to from the other elicited a small growl from Annie, and Jeff took full advantage of her opening her mouth to do so.

As Jeff's tongue continued its earlier exploration, and at times, was battled back by Annie's in order for her to take charge. Pulses raced, fingers entwined in hair, and pulled gently, animalistic sounds issued in turns. Jeff couldn't remember the last time he was this incredibly turned on by a woman…he'd had so many, this was just another one, right?

Wrong.

As Annie began to grind her pelvis against his, knowing they were both reacting to the hormones raging through them like a couple of teenagers parked in a deserted spot for the first time, Jeff broke the kiss, and pulled his face away from Annie's.

"What's wrong, Jeff?" Annie's face, predictably, looked worried.

"Annie, we HAVE to slow down a bit here." Jeff stated with firmness in his voice. Annie's face clouded…this wasn't the first time he'd suggested such things before this evening, and it typically didn't go well for either of them when he did.

"Jeff…I'm going to keep calm here, given my overreacting and not letting you explain in the bathroom…but you had _better_ have a very good explanation for this." Annie kept her voice overly sugary, and plastered a fake smile across her face, which along with her eyes, made her look slightly manic.

Jeff prefaced his explanation by reaching up, and putting his hand on Annie's cheek, allowing his thumb to lightly stroke the side of her face. "Annie…I'm done with the hot and cold. I think the last few minutes have proven that. But if we keep this up, eventually we're going to follow it through to its logical conclusion, and I don't want to do that here."

Annie nodded, but argued; "But, didn't you and Britta defile our study table your first time? And I can't believe I just mentioned that…ugh. I think I just killed my own mood."

"Yeah…we did, but that's different."

"How is it different? That was our study table, this is some random room we've never seen anyone in, aside from 'Professor Professorson' that one night our sophomore year. It should matter less to you if we do something that might bother others who find out!"

Annie finished her little speech, lapsing into her own thoughts, incredulity dominating her mind, wondering if it was due to her inexperience, especially when compared to Britta, or if Jeff just found it easier to control himself with her, and Britta just made him more…carnally ravenous. Given that Jeff had told Annie earlier in the evening that there wasn't anything 'real' with Britta, but it was all just sex, she could see that being true, but also managed to use that thought to tamp down her jealousy. She wanted to be arousing to Jeff, but she wanted more than JUST that.

"Because you're you, Annie…with Britta, it was a situation where I had an opportunity, and I took it. Call me gross, but that's what it was. I won't pretend I wasn't attracted to her, but we've already been over that!"

Jeff paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts. He knew how he felt…he just wasn't sure how to put it into words that he was comfortable saying. Time to go for broke…and pray it didn't backfire on him. If he missed his chance because of some stupid morality he'd discovered, mostly because of this woman…like he'd already decided, she wasn't just another woman. Missing this one would actually hurt him in places he didn't usually allow himself to get hurt.

"With you, for our first time together, if it ever happens…I don't want it to be in some random place, like here, or even the study room. I want it to be somewhere special. At least in one of our apartments, for God's sake. When I say special, I don't mean it has to be on a beach with a mariachi band serenading us…I just don't want to feel like some high school kid doing it in a car to keep his girl's parents from knowing. If we were to take that step here…I'd feel like I was trying to hide it or something, like I was ashamed of it, and I don't want to do that to you. You're more important than that."

Annie's mouth dropped open, and her eyes softened. Jeff knew that if she did her 'Awwwww' thing, even without Shirley here to provide stereo, he'd likely snap. Even after all these years, and his occasional turn away from the 'Dark Side,' in order to help the group out with one thing or another, he still wasn't used to opening up the way he had tonight. He was the most vulnerable he could remember ever being, even more than when he opened up to his father at Thanksgiving.

"Jeff…I'm pleasantly shocked."

Jeff grinned. "Explanation good enough?"

Annie leaned in and gave him a far more chaste kiss than their more recent kisses had been, "Just one more example of why I love you, Jeff Winger."

She eased herself off of Jeff's lap. He was disappointed, but simultaneously relieved. After spending years denying his feelings for Annie, now that he had started letting them out, it was a little bit like holding back water from a broken dam…the more it was allowed to flow, the more the dam broke. Annie was walking around the side of the room, looking at the various ancient printers and computers that made up Greendale's mythical 'night school.'

"You know what this room reminds me of, Jeff?"

Jeff leaned back in the chair again, remembering the debacle surrounding his fake class in their second year. The thought brought a faint smile to his face, as he recalled tricking the Dean, chasing 'Professorson' through Troy and Abed's blanket-fort (When they entered their friend's construction, and realized they would have to crawl on hands and knees Annie had taken the lead…which Jeff didn't mind in the least,) tackling Annie to save her when he thought she was in danger, after a threatening phone call…but most of all, how much fun he had running around, doing stupid stuff with Annie. Anyone else, and he'd have complained about what they were doing. With her, he just complained that he might lose his free credit. He'd enjoyed the time spent with her too much to focus on exactly _what_ they were doing.

"No ideas, Jeff?" He'd drifted away into his thoughts, and completely failed to answer her question. "Sorry, Annie…just thinking back to that night. It reminded me of a lot of things. What about you?"

She turned her head, and beamed at him. Jeff felt himself taken totally off guard by the power of her smile when she was truly happy, especially happy with him. If he'd ever doubted the fact that Annie could get just about anything she wanted from him, that doubt was gone. He fully acknowledged (to himself…never to Annie, and definitely never to anyone else. Well…maybe someday to Annie, once he was sure she wouldn't abuse it, or maybe just if she ever asked…or maybe he'd just tell her) that he was completely whipped for her.]

"It just reminds me of a lesson that you started teaching me when we were debate partners, and I like to think I demonstrated how well I learned during the fake conspiracy class investigative outing you and I had."

Jeff raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh yeah, what lesson is that?"

Annie fully turned and started walking back towards him. "Jeff, you should know this one better than anyone…you even complimented me on it that night. I've gotten pretty good at going 'off script' when the situation calls for it, you know."

Jeff grinned, and Annie sat herself on a corner of the desk near him, reclining on an elbow slightly, reminding Jeff of nothing more than a torch singer, draping herself across a piano in a high-end bar. Jeff had to restrain himself from taking advantage of their respective positions to sneak a glance up her skirt. Oddly enough, he felt comforted by this urge…at least he knew he was still himself at the core, even though he had to acknowledge that what Annie was saying was true, and never more so than tonight.

"I guess I HAVE had a bit of an effect on you and some of the less-than-scholarly aspects of your education, haven't I?" he asked, leaning forward, to bring his chair to its upright position, before standing. He placed his left hand on Annie's left shoulder, and began to slowly circle around the side of the desk, using her as an orbit point. "Of course, you've done the same to me." He stopped in his slow walk partway around her, bending over to give her a quick, gentle kiss before resuming in his course. "I mean…look, I planned all this to be some huge, romantic gesture to you. Yeah, we've improvised from time to time, deviated from what I had planned, but for the most part…we've stuck to what I had thought we would."

Annie looked at him with a non-subtle amount of adoration. "Well, Jeff…if I get any say in the matter, I'd offer you a compliment, because I think you've done an excellent job with the whole thing. You've hit some speedbumps, but everything's gotten worked out, right?"

Jeff nodded, once he'd reached the far side of the desk, he'd let his hand drag off of her shoulder as he paced the room.

"I need you to understand how impressed and proud I've been by your ability to adapt to situations, Annie. Both tonight, and in the past. Our confrontation with the dean…the debate…you're an all-around impressive young woman."

Annie smiled at Jeff…it was like a switch had been turned with him. All his old iciness and the distance he tried to create between them for so many years were gone. It was refreshing. Annie actually felt less doubt about her own desirability than she had in ages. She hoped Jeff would come to his endgame soon enough. She was tired, and she wanted to find out what laid in store for her, and the two of them once his plan was completed.

"You know what?" Jeff suddenly stopped pacing, and turned to Annie. "It's time for me to follow my own advice a bit. C'mon…I'm deviating from the script a little bit."

Jeff grabbed Annie's hand, and practically dragged her out of the room, and down the dark halls of Greendale.

They stopped in a large, open part of the hallway, where the roof came to a domed skylight. The moonlight poured in, making this the lightest possible part of the hall. Jeff knew that if the enigmatic creature from earlier was around, there was no way it could miss seeing them, and there's no way they would be able to see it. Annie just felt like she was in a spotlight on a stage, and her world was reduced to her and Jeff.

"Ok, Jeff, you decided to go 'off script' and drag us out here, what's neat about this spot?"

Jeff turned to regard Annie, and in doing so, moved into her space, facing her directly. He put his hands on her hips in a familiar manner, as if he had no fears of whether or not she would accept such a familiar gesture. After everything they'd been through that night, maybe it was right that he feel so comfortable with her, but he wondered if they might be moving too quickly. After all, the flame that burns brightest…

"Annie…after we finished with our showdown with the dean, we gathered with the rest of the group out here. It was one of those times that I think I'll remember forever. No worrying about studying, no big crisis, no Abed being absurdly meta…just enjoying the company of the seven of us. Then, of course, Abed and Troy decided making the front page of Greendale's newspaper was 'too mainstream' and brought the whole blanket fort down around us."

Annie nodded, she remembered that night, and felt the same as Jeff…except she felt it had been slightly more nerve wracking than he seemed to, with her feelings and hurt being exposed that night.

"When the blankets came down, you and I seemed to react instinctively, I remember ducking towards the area with the most room as what was supposed to be our ceiling collapsed on us…and you did the same, which brought us face to face with each other."

Annie got the feeling she knew where Jeff was leading with this. Her heart began fluttering with anticipation.

"Tonight was supposed to be about fixing the mistakes between us…I've done a pretty bad job of it so far, but this is one I think I can manage. I regretted not doing this then, so I'm going to make up for it now."

With that, Jeff's right hand moved up to cup the back of her head, and his face moved towards hers. As time seemed to move at a glacial pace as Jeff moved to kiss her, every fiber of Annie's being was shouting at her to move in towards him as well, but she was rendered paralyzed by her emotions. She couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight…and she knew her next move.

Their lips finally met, and time sped back up for Annie. She eagerly returned his kiss, even though it wasn't the first that night, it was one of the most important, due to what it represented to her. By bringing her out here, she realized that Jeff was owning up to his mistakes of the past, and doing what he could to make things better. She was resolved…he was worth the effort she was about to commit to.

They kept the kiss brief, but intimate, Jeff had moved his hand back down to the small of her back, and Annie had wrapped her arms around his neck. Even after their faces moved apart, neither one made a move to break the embrace they were in, both looking deeply into each other's eyes, and sharing a coy smile.

Suddenly, Annie felt her legs swept out from under her, and she let out a gasp of surprise. A fraction of a second later, she realized that Jeff had picked her up again, bride-crossing-the-threshold style, and was lowering himself to the floor, her along with him.

Once Jeff had seated himself cross-legged, and situated her in his lap, arms still around his neck, he turned his face back to hers. Annie cocked an eyebrow at him in question.

"Sorry…it's hard to stay bent over like that for long." He said to her with a grin.

Annie just rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to get so damn tall!" she sniped at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Jeff merely nuzzled her neck in response while he chuckled at her.

"So, was this considered off-book for you, coming out here?" she questioned him, hoping it would lead into her recent resolution. It was really something he ought to know about.

"Well, it wasn't in my initial plan for the evening, so yeah…I guess it was." Jeff admitted to her, loving the sensation of holding Annie in his arms.

Annie gave him another beaming smile. "It was cute. Even with the ups and downs, I've appreciated everything you've done tonight. I'm thinking it's been well worth it."

"Yeah, Annie, it's definitely been worth it. I just have one question about everything." Jeff's face twisted slightly with concern, giving Annie a slightly unsettling feeling.

"What is it, Jeff? You've kind of got a captive audience here."

"Do you think we're moving too fast with everything? I mean…up until half an hour ago, we hadn't kissed for three years, and now we're acting like a couple that's on honeymoon or something." As he asked this, Jeff felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. He had to ask it, but it was probably the single question that could damage what was happening between them the most. If Annie came to her senses and realized how much better she could do…

Annie released her hold from around Jeff's neck, and draping her right arm over his shoulder for support, she gently stroked his cheek with her left, and gently kissed him. "No…I don't. I think we're letting years of dancing around each other catch up with us."

Jeff slowly opened his eyes from the last kiss, his heart pounding, but his stomach settling. He felt like he may have dodged a final bullet that may have kept them apart. Annie continued to speak "In fact, I think it's my turn to go a little 'off-script' now…kind of."

Now it was Jeff's turn to look at Annie questioningly. She didn't keep him in suspense. "Well, you know that I actively pursued Troy for a bit, right?"

Jeff nodded his head off to the side in a sardonic manner "Well…if by actively, you mean passive-aggressively, sure." Annie just pressed her lips together and waggled a finger at him in mock annoyance. "Ok…new ground rule. You just say yes to everything I ask until I'm done, got it?" which earned a chuckle from Jeff. "Annie…you can get me to agree to a lot of things, but me agreeing blindly to agree? Fat chance, babe."

Annie gave off an exaggeratedly exasperated sigh "Fine! And babe? Really? Ugh. You can do better than that."

She gave Jeff a split-second to let that sink in, watching him visibly reel in shock. It was a minor complaint, but she hadn't ever been fond of 'babe.' She had tolerated it with Vaughn, not wanting something so small to cause a rift between her and what held the potential to be her first 'grown-up' relationship. As it stood…she barely even thought about it that way these days. They had dated a few months, and didn't ever get further than kissing. Vaughn was out on 'vision quests' and 'cleansings' and other things she just didn't get, too often for them to build a real relationship. They were 'boyfriend and girlfriend,' but she realized later how little that had actually meant to either of them, other than they could both claim that they weren't alone. When she had decided to stay in Greendale, she didn't shed any tears, and neither did he.

With Jeff…things were different, and she was about to raise the stakes. "Anyway, I pursued Troy, and you…and I don't think you can deny that I was fairly aggressive there." Jeff nodded in assent and unconsciously reached up to grab his nose. "Well, I don't know if Troy ever told you about the blanket I loaned him when I got roped into helping him with a date he wanted to plan, thinking that he might be asking ME out."

Jeff grinned. "I seem to remember Troy rambling slightly incoherently about you and some blanket…but I never really got it. I'm dying to know what this was all about now."

Annie smiled up at Jeff, riding the line between genuinely sweet, and threateningly sweet. "Well, it was the blanket my grandmother used to court my grandfather. Now…I guess it's not really necessarily the normal way of things in our society, but it definitely isn't unheard of either, and I think I've proven I'm rather comfortable with it, and it's definitely part of my familial tradition in some respects…"

Jeff looked at Annie with an eyebrow raised, and rapidly shook his head, communicating a lack of comprehension and understanding. "Annie…you're starting to ramble. What are you talking about?"

Annie firmed up her posture as much as she could while remaining in Jeff's lap, and switched to what Jeff recognized as her "formidable" tone. "Jeff Winger, I am officially courting you! I've told you a few times tonight that I love you, and I stand by that. And I know you're not ready to say it to me yet, and that's ok. But after everything that's happened tonight, I know there's something real between us, and so I'll stick to it until we're ready for the next step…so, there it is. Jeff, you are hereby courted!"

Jeff couldn't keep from chuckling…she was just so EARNEST, and serious about the whole thing. She was too cute for words. Still, he had to say something. He eased her off of his lap, and stood up, holding out his hand to help her get up as well. Once she was standing, he pulled her in for a gentle kiss, and once it broke, he responded.

"Ok…so I'm courted. I just hope your feelings aren't hurt when this ends up being the world's shortest courtship."

Annie frowned. "What the hell does that even mean? A few minutes ago, you stop us from getting all hot and bothered, and you talk about 'our first time together,' and now you're saying that this is going to be a short courtship? Jeff…where do you see this relationship going?"

By this point, Jeff had taken her by the hand, and was leading her towards an exit door. He didn't even turn to look at her when he said "The quad."

"Jeff…that isn't what I mean!"

Now he stopped, whirled to face her and look her directly in the eyes. "Actually Annie, you'll be surprised to find out that it's _exactly_ what you mean."

Annie had to admit at the least that her curiosity was piqued as she followed Jeff out of the building and onto the campus grounds.

* * *

A/N: Ok...got a few things here.

Last Chapter: I apologize for the ups and downs there. It was intended to be "humorous." Sorry...I know it was a weak joke, but I was endlessly amused by Jeff's reticence to get steamy in a public restroom, and Annie's failure to let him explain properly...and then Jeff's taking advantage of the situation to probe for information. I think with this chapter, you'll see we're back on track.

Next Chapter: Only two more (and an epilogue) to go! I tend to think of the next chapter as the "John Galt" chapter...if you're familiar with that reference, then you may have an idea of what's in store next chapter. No matter what though, we're nearing the end.

Tumblr: as always, I'm available on my tumblr to discuss anything...it can be related to this story, Community in general, or just random chat. daneblr is my tumblr name, and there's a link in my profile. If you ask a spoilery question, my answer will be posted behind a cut to preserve those who wish to avoid spoilers.

This story in general: The more and more I write, the more confused I am about whether I ship J/A in part because they remind me of me and my wife, or if I'm just reading me and my wife's relationship into how I see these two. Regardless, I'm definitely putting a good part of myself and my relationship into this story. My wife WAS the aggressor at the beginning of our relationship, and...well, I think I'm going to go into more detail about such things when I do a "Ficcing Lessons Learned" series on my tumblr once this story is over.

Thanks again for reading, everyone. I hope you continue to enjoy as we're getting close to the end, and I appreciate your comments and criticisms. Don't be afraid to poke at my flaws...the longer this story gets, the more of them I find (again, to go into my lessons learned...)


	12. Chapter 12

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 4197  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

"This isn't the quad, Jeff."

"I know that, Annie."

"You said we were going to the quad."

"Well, we walked _through_ the quad. Are you seriously going to nitpick this? I guess in my mind, large open areas on a college campus that aren't parking lots are tagged with the label 'quad.' Forgive me for not saying 'we're going to go stand between the cafeteria and the actual, proper quad.'"

Jeff turned to look at Annie, with his head shaking. Still, he managed to grin about it. He was actually having fun bantering with her. With anyone else, except maybe Shirley, such banter would be a chore, something to get through, win, and get done with. With Shirley…well, Shirley got him. With Annie, it was almost as much fun as kissing her. Annie could keep up with him, and give as good as she got..

Looking back on the last four years, Jeff couldn't believe what he almost missed out on. How he had tried to make the study group disintegrate on the very first day, so he'd have the opportunity to get Britta alone. How he'd ditched out on the study group's extracurriculars, including helping Annie move, just so he could go shopping. Of course, he got his just desserts, since he ended up having to spend the day with Craig Pelton. Jeff shuddered. He didn't look forward to revisiting that particular memory.

Annie was looking up at him expectantly. He returned the quizzical look, waiting for her to make the first move. She didn't disappoint. Jeff knew he could always count on Annie.

"Well?!" she whined, impatient, but endearing, as only Annie could be to Jeff.

"Well…I'm assuming you know the significance of this spot, Ms. Edison." Jeff knew he was being vague, but he also knew Annie was smart enough to figure it out, if she was willing to.

"Any hints?" she prodded.

"Sure. I'm really, really glad you ended up staying." Jeff gave Annie a sincere smile, and while tempted to move in for kiss, held back. Time enough for that once he was done here.

Annie blanched. "Oh, God, Jeff! The Tranny Dance?"

Jeff nodded. "This is one of the biggest crossroads for us. This is kind of where it started to be something real, rather than just a curiosity."

Annie wasn't sure how to react. She had very mixed feelings about this particular spot/moment in time/memory. On one hand, it was quite possibly one of the happiest moments of her life. On the other, it led to such startling disappointment just months later, and was now also tied to some very uncomfortable experiences involving Abed.

Annie took the offensive route…she'd spent plenty of time on defense tonight.

"You know how absolutely corny that sounds, right?" Annie softened her jibe with a poke to Jeff's ribs and a grin.

"Sure…point it out to me. You already know I have a tough time with this romantic crap…I'd think you'd be eating it up!"

Annie didn't stop beaming. "You can keep going. I just think it's fun to see how much hard-assed 'I don't care about anyone' Jeff Winger has come over the past few years."

Jeff gave a contemplative nod, with a look off into the distance, as if to consider this statement. "True, but you need to keep in mind, I _did_ sign an agreement, in front of the dean, that essentially said that Slater and I were dating. That's kind of romantic, right? It at least sets precedent for me doing…stuff."

Annie's eyebrows raised in mock appreciation. "Stuff, huh? That's the best you've got? You have a history of doing _stuff_? I bet that looks killer on a resume, or more appropriately in this instance, on a dating website profile."

Jeff looked at her appraisingly. "Annie…since when did YOU get so sarcastic? It's like someone hooked you up to jumper cables…you're suddenly all sorts of peppy and energetic, and you're expressing it through playful banter." Jeff scrunched his face up and did a subtle head jerk –back, showing Annie exactly how much this side of her was throwing him. "I mean, it's not like I'm not liking it, or that it's even all that foreign from you, but after everything that's gone on tonight…"

Given how much she was already throwing Jeff off, Annie decided to go for the gold medal of irritating Jeff. She started a slow, subtle sway from side to side, and gently batted her eyes at him, and for the coup de grace, twirled her hair while giving him her best non-overkill pout. She could hold out for him to break.

It didn't take long, either. Jeff's eyes got wide, and she could see him visibly struggling not to react. In less than a minute after she started, Jeff barked a single sentence. "Ok, you can cut the act now!"

Annie laughed, and bounced up and down a bit. She wasn't trying to make Jeff mad, but something felt like a weight had been lifted, and now she just wanted to play with Jeff and have fun with him. She knew she couldn't push it too far though. "Sorry Jeff…I guess I'm just having a really good time now. I know it sounds nuts, and maybe I'm just getting silly with how late it is, but I mean…we're outside, so we'll see any scary stuff coming long before it can get to us, and honestly…I'm kind of guessing you're getting to the end of our little field trip here, and I'm looking forward to what the big payoff at the end is, and really…no matter what else happens, I'm happy about everything that's happened between us tonight." Annie paused for a second, then amended, "Well…almost everything."

Jeff nodded. This was his time to just go for it. The game was done, almost…time to pay the piper. Jeff took a long look down into Annie's eyes. Unfortunately, Annie seemed to take this as a cue for them to have a kiss. Jeff started mentally kicking himself already. He hated what he had to do next.

Jeff pulled away slightly. "Annie…just hold on a second, ok?"

Annie looked startled at this sudden turn of events. He had to correct this pretty damn quickly, or he'd have a huge mess to clean up. "No, Annie, it's not like before. You'll have to be the one calling time outs for breath-catching in a few minutes here, but I just want to talk for a minute first. Is that ok?"

Annie looked still startled, but relieved. She composed herself and nodded at Jeff. (Mental note, Winger: 9+Annie's on your side, it doesn't hurt to fill her in on the details so she doesn't get the wrong impression.)

After Jeff filed this shockingly simple and obvious, but easily forgettable piece of advice away where he hoped he'd never actually manage to forget it, he took a deep breath. "Ok, Annie…truth is, I l—"

He couldn't finish. Something stopped him. He was baffled. He'd told her, and the rest of the group just earlier that day at graduation that he loved them. He knew he loved Annie, and he wanted to tell her, but something was stilling his tongue when he tried to say it. 'Think fast, and cover your ass, Winger;' the little voice inside his head prompted him, but when it came to actually covering his ass, the words came easily.

"Annie, the truth is, I need you to know how absolutely sorry I am for everything that's gone wrong between us over the past few years. That's what tonight was all about, but it deserves saying outright, where there's no real distractions, there's no jumping from room to room, no game playing…we've done that, and now it's time for me to really spell it all out."

Jeff paused momentarily to allow that to sink in with her, and she just nodded, wide-eyed. Something about her believing in him gave him confidence.

"This thing, this whatever between you and me…it wasn't ever supposed to happen. It shouldn't have happened. I was supposed to chase Britta, get a little action, everyone would think I was a skeeze, I wouldn't care, and then I'd move on with my life, and today, I'd be celebrating becoming a gross lawyer again. Alone. You were supposed to win Troy over, and have adorable babies with average intelligence and bizarre predilection for butt stuff and crying at random crap, like being told their feet are stupid."

Annie interjected "I like to think my genes would have been dominant when it comes to intelligence!"

Jeff just shook his head at her, practically spitting out the words with incredulity "_That's_ your takeaway from that?" Annie demurred, "Hey, take what I can get here…"

"Fine, whatever…my point remains, _we_ weren't ever supposed to happen. I'm too old, you're too innocent, ex-chetterah, ex-chetterah." Annie gave a tight smile at Jeff's mispronunciation. "Did you really mispronounce 'et cetera?'" she asked.

"Annie, my degree may not be fake, but it _is_ from Greendale" Jeff flashed Annie a goofy grin. As heavy as things had been, and would still get, he could do little things here and there to lighten the mood.

"Look, even though nothing was supposed to happen between us, and nothing should have…life is what happens when you're making other plans, right? Fact is, something DID happen, and it's not fair of me to try to move forward with my life without at least acknowledging it, and doing what I can to put certain things to rights."

Jeff paused again, but this time Annie didn't have any response for him. She just looked at him cautiously, seemingly unsure of where he was going with this.

"So, here it is, I'm just going to be sloppy and jump right into it. Annie, I'm sorry that I've ever talked down to you, when you're easily my equal, if not my superior on most counts that matter. I mean, I've got your number when it comes to height, and I'm _way_ better at slacking off, and while you're my equal in attractiveness…I mean, you're flat out gorgeous, and I'm crazy good-looking, but I have to give myself the nod for raw charisma..." Jeff allowed himself to trail off, tilting his head downward, and to the side, but looking upwards at Annie, with a half-grin on his face. Annie rolled her eyes, still blushing from being told what Jeff thought of her looks. "Ok, yes…you're a very handsome man…but you already knew I thought that, you goober!"

Jeff laughed. "Yeah, but I like hearing it. Especially from you."

Annie took advantage of the lighter moment, and rushed into Jeff's arms, startling him. He recovered quickly, and wrapped his arms tightly around the petite woman while she pressed the side of her face against his chest. She was just happy to be there being held by him. When she was in his arms, everything felt complete, and whole, and right. Annie hadn't felt like she needed someone to protect her for years, having been on her own for so long, and having learned how to take care of herself, but that didn't mean it wasn't nice, on occasion, to feel protected.

After they broke apart, Jeff continued, almost like he hadn't ever stopped. "Anyway, it's just one of those things…those crazy, stupid things. I graduated today, Annie…and as excited as I am to be practicing law again, and reentering the world of the legitimate, I started thinking about not sitting at that stupid table every day, and not going to classes with the group every day, and maybe not even seeing the group every day…and then I got to thinking about those same things, not sitting at the table with someone, not going to classes with someone, and not seeing someone every day…and as obvious as it has to be by now, that someone is you."

Annie let out a choked whimper. It wasn't a sound unfamiliar to Jeff…he'd figured out it was Annie's 'stunned, but in a good way' noise a couple of years back. He allowed her a couple of seconds to compose herself. Once she had, she cleared her throat, and quietly asked "But Jeff, we go days without seeing each other all the time. Most weekends, school breaks…especially summ…er."

Annie's voice trailed off with the last word, breaking it into syllables. Jeff knew where her mind had gone, and it was time to address that elephant in the room.

"Yeah, I know we do, Annie…but before, we always had a reason to each other besides just to see each other. Either it was because we had a class, so it just made sense, or when we were kicked out, maintaining the group helped us keep our sense of normality about the world…it was a touchstone to keep us from going crazy. But now, I don't have that anymore, and to see you guys, it has to be just because I want to see you…and I do, but I have to be honest about it. It isn't because you need me, but because _I need you_."

Jeff stopped for a breath. This next bandage ripping was going to hurt.

"And I need to apologize to you for making the summer after our freshman year a miserable one. It was absolutely horrible of me to not at least contact you after we met out here. Between everything that happened with Chang and the class at the end of the year, and the crap Britta and Slater pulled on me at the dance, and then what happened between the two of us out here…I was confused, Annie. Confused and…scared." Jeff said with a tone of admission.

Annie's brow crinkled slightly. "Jeff, what were you scared of? I don't get it at all…two women declare they love you, and then you run into a third who makes it patently obvious she's attracted to you, and has some level of feelings for you…which was me, by the way…in case you hadn't gotten it yet, Jeff, you're a big part of the reason I stayed."

Jeff threw his arms wide and bent nearly double, so his face was at the same height as hers. It was a sudden, unexpected gesture that made Annie startle slightly. "That's _exactly_ why it was scary, Annie! Yes, I'm used to women being into me. That's nothing new, but women being into me that I still plan on seeing the next day, week, month, year? That's new! That's scary! I had to start thinking about feelings…of others, not just myself for once!"

"I mean…let's look at it. Really look at it. Britta tells me she loves me…and y'know what? I love her, after a sense. I was attracted to her, and I feel affection for her, and she's part of my family now. I don't have romantic feelings for her anymore, and they certainly weren't ever on that level, but she was already family. Hurting her was…horrible. Slater, wasn't quite as hard. She'd already made her bed, and honestly, the signs of us not working out were there pretty early on…have I mentioned my feelings towards Glee before?"

Annie shook her head, totally confused about this seemingly random change in topic.

"Never mind, not important. Fact of the matter is, Slater and I weren't meant to be, but that didn't mean I wanted to be with Britta. But, it gave me the opportunity to do some self-examination, which I'm sure you remember from that night."

Annie nodded, feeling far more familiar with the topic again. "Yeah, you were trying to figure out if you wanted to be with the woman who made you feel comfortable as you were, or the woman who made you want to be someone better."

"Exactly! And that's not an easy choice! And then I ran into a third option…a way I could get the best of both worlds. A woman who accepted me for who I was, but would also always push me to be better, so I could grow at a realistic pace…not expect me to be someone different overnight. And, Annie, if I may be so blatant as to paraphrase you as of about forty-five seconds ago, that was you, by the way…in case you hadn't gotten it yet."

Annie visibly melted. "Awwww, Jeff!" Amazingly enough to himself, Jeff didn't cringe at this, and let Annie continue. "But, Jeff…if I'm this great 'third option,' you describe me as…why did you blow me off all summer, and then again when school started?"

Jeff closed his eyes in a wince, as if he had just stubbed a toe. "Because, Annie…what do you think would have happened if we'd talked, or seen each other, or anything like that that summer?" Annie just shook her head, eyes wide, expression totally innocent. "Well, Annie, if I had seen you, I don't think I could have kept from kissing you again. And I'm betting you wouldn't have put up much fight either. And we probably would have taken things further, and we may have even dated."

Annie's expression went from innocence to flat-out goggling at him. "And that would have been bad exactly _how_, Jeff?!"

"Because it would have been too soon, Annie! Because I was still the guy who spent six months the next year secretly sleeping with Britta! Because I was still the guy who wasn't ready to value you and treat you like the partner you deserve to be! Because I was still the guy I used to be. And Annie, if you're really honest with yourself, can you say you were ready for a commitment like that back then?"

Annie had been caught flat footed. She realized Jeff was waiting for a response and began stammering. "Well…I…uh…I like to think that I would have be-"

"No, you wouldn't have been." Jeff interrupted her, waving an accusatory finger at her. "Time for honesty, Annie. We would have gotten together that summer, and we would have gotten apart just as quickly, because neither one of us was ready. It's taken all four years of Greendale for us to get to a place where we're even close to ready, and as much as it frightens me, I still don't know for sure if we're ready. Things could end up being a total disaster, but after I've realized how much I love doing the simplest, stupidest, craziest things with you, and how much it kills me to think of not getting to see you as often as I've gotten to…I can't risk that. I love the group, Annie…but I'm in love with you."

And there it was. The words came easily now. Jeff figured he just had one last subconscious block that had been holding him back until he finished making things right…until he'd managed to apologize for what may have been his biggest transgression against Annie of them all.

"I love you, Annie."

Annie stood in a stunned silence. Jeff, still not completely used to baring his feelings so completely, found his inability to read her body language right now both frustrating and terrifying. He swallowed his fear, and allowed the symmetry of their previous encounter, years prior, guide him.

This time, it was Jeff who initiated a tentative kiss, which Annie allowed. This time, it was Jeff who stood back, and waited for approval, the question plain on his face.

This time, it was Annie who rushed back into his space, and began a far more passionate kiss, quelling Jeff's fears, and letting him know that she accepted him, and his love, completely. Jeff allowed a hand to bury itself in her hair, and one to stroke her back. When they broke for air, Annie leaned forward and whispered into Jeff's ear, "I love you, too."

They pulled apart, and Jeff grimaced slightly. "Yeah, you told me earlier, remember?"

Annie's confusion showed on her face. "You make that sound like a bad thing." Jeff chuckled, and responded, "Well…I guess I kinda hoped I'd get to say it first."

Annie swatted Jeff's chest with a good-natured backhand. "Figures…always have to be the one in charge. Good thing we're the champions at going off-book, right?" Annie offered a coy smile towards the man she suddenly felt comfortable thinking of as 'her love,' who responded by ducking down to give her a quick kiss. "Told you I wasn't going to keep us from doing this for long…just had to talk a bit first." Jeff grinned at her in a way that Annie had never seen before. She realized Jeff looked truly happy, and care-free for the first time in her memory. He _acted_ distant and care-free a lot, but she knew from years of experience, and Abed's tutelage that it was exactly that…an act. Seeing him like this was refreshing, and just deepened her feelings for him.

"By the way, Annie…like I said, world's shortest courtship."

"What do you mean?" Annie was baffled, given recent revelations.

Jeff smiled at her, eyes playful. "Well, what's the purpose of courting?"

Annie responded, almost like reading from a textbook. "To secure a mate, usually by way of marriage."

"Well, there you go…you win. I love you. I have been thoroughly courted. You have successfully bagged your prey. We aren't going to start talking about getting married…at least not yet, and possibly not for a long time, and possibly not ever, but next time we go to a hotel…we'll both be in on the 'Mrs. Winger' thing, deal?"

Annie smiled. She wasn't thrilled that Jeff was still so iffy on marriage, but honestly, it was Jeff. She didn't plan on him changing overnight. It was enough that he wanted to change for her, and she'd accept him, for the most part, as he was now. She had a feeling that their feelings on making things 'more official' would get worked out, one way or the other, sooner, rather than later.

"Deal, with one addendum. You have to hang out with me, wherever we may be going, no matter HOW lame you think it is. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Jeff grinned. He'd been doing so much smiling over the last fifteen minutes, he was surprised he hadn't split his face yet…he was more used to cynicism and sarcasm than all this happiness, but now it was time to take a bit of a risk with a question. "Fine…but wouldn't you be worried about my escaping through a window when we went to our rooms at night?"

Her response was all business. "Jeff, you're using an incorrect plural there. Our room, not rooms. Sometimes I just don't get how your mind works."

"Why, Annie…are you propositioning me? Sure sounds like it."

Tossing a lip-biting, doe-eyed look his way before answering, Annie gave Jeff exactly what he'd hoped to hear. "Is that a problem, Jeff?"

"Well, I _guess_ I can learn to live with that idea." Jeff's response earned another backhanded swat from Annie, but catching her arm on the rebound, he pulled her in for yet another kiss, enjoying the smell of her shampoo, and the light remains of her perfume as their bodies pulled in closely together.

"So, now what, Jeff? I mean…we're done here, right? I love you, you love me…we can finally start exploring what exactly that means, but we don't have to go to the Biology room or anything, right? We can actually leave now?" Annie was happy with how everything had turned out with the evening, but was ready to call it a night.

"Yep, just have to run back to the study room to get my keys, and then we'll get out of here. I'll give you a ride, and tomorrow we can figure out how to find your keys." Jeff felt slightly bad about deceiving Annie…he still had one last bit of his script to run once they made it to the study room, but he figured in the end, Annie wouldn't really mind that much.

Putting his arm around her waist, she leaned her head into his shoulder, and they turned towards the library, and marched off to get his keys, so they could finally leave campus, and hopefully, metaphorically abandon their past, and look toward their future. Jeff shook his head…he was going to kill Abed for warping him to think like this.

Wholly absorbed in each other, neither one noticed the movements of the shadows that couldn't be accounted for by the moonlight in the trees, just as they had failed to miss it during their previous excursions outside of the buildings. Who could blame them? They had just realized they had both found love in the most unlikely of places, and were spending every second they could reveling in it.

As they approached the library, the single light inside illuminating the study room beckoned towards them, where Jeff planned on asking Annie the most important question he'd ever approached before. His heartbeat quickened with the impending moment, and his fears of the worst possible results, but he forced himself to focus on the moment, where he, at the very least, got to hold her.

* * *

A/N: Finally got this chapter done...and big developments! Though I don't suspect anyone didn't see them coming. I don't really consider myself a master of suspense or anything.

I'm excited to be getting close to wrapping things up with this story, and finally seeing some in-story payoff. I'm also having a very good time writing aspects of characters I haven't gotten to spend much time with thus far this story, like coy!Annie and happy!Jeff, or even just playful!Annie and playful!Jeff. These are dimensions of the characters you occasionally get to see on screen, but even then they aren't "main" aspects, because Jeff is too busy being cool, and Annie is caught up in being type A...but they DO show at times, and they're a lot of fun to write.

I also have to admit that I've been getting some questions on my Tumblr...and I LOVE it. I'll talk to people about J/A, my stories, or...pretty much anything all day long. If you follow my Tumblr, you may notice that about me, when I give a three paragraph answer to a single sentence question... As always, you can find a link in my profile, or just find me using my tumblr name (daneblr...it's like a portmanteau of Dane and Tumblr.)

Finish line is in sight...


	13. Chapter 13

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 5352  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

* * *

'Love love love! She and Jeff were in love!' Annie couldn't help but singing in her head. Was this course of events what she had expected when Jeff sent an oddly demanding series of texts earlier in the night? No. Was she glad it had happened though? Hell yes, she was!

She couldn't keep from looking up at his face on occasion, just because now she could, without any worries of accusations of having 'a crush' or 'googly eyes' or whatever.

Actually, Shirley would probably still grumble about googly eyes, but now they were justified, not something Jeff and Annie did because they were dancing around each other. If anything, Annie guessed they'd probably just be worse about it. The thought of what that would do to Shirley made Annie stifle a giggle, but it didn't escape Jeff's attention. He'd been keeping his gaze forward, as he guided them back to the study room, with his arm wrapped around her, but occasionally taking surreptitious glances down towards her, which allowed for small blips of eye contact when they happened to sync up in their looks. The energy between them was nearly electric when those would occur, but Annie's aborted laughter broke Jeff out of his Annie-trance, and with her head rested securely against his chest, she could feel his voice as much as hear it.

"What's so funny, shortstuff?"

"I was just thinking about how our friends will react…especially Britta and Shirley. I think you're going to have to watch yourself around Shirley for awhile. Don't eat any brownies…she may spike them."

Jeff looked down at Annie with a look of shock on his face. "How did your mind even go there? You're disturbingly devious."

Annie just buried her face in his chest, which made walking admittedly difficult, and caused a brief stumble. Once they had recovered, she returned the jibe. "You love it, and you know it." Jeff took a second to consider, and his nod appeared to concede the point, but his words were slightly contrary. "Well, I love you. Deviousness? I'm not thinking so much…unless you use it for my purposes, then I'm all for it."

"Wait…are you saying we should become some sort of evil duo?"

Jeff stopped dead in his tracks. "No. Definitely not. Not now, not ever. No." He paused, and appeared to consider something, then continued. "We'd be an incredibly sexy evil couple, and I'm betting you'd look amazing in black leather…but no. And never, ever let Abed hear a word about this discussion." He started them back on their progress towards the study room, and Annie chimed in.

"Yeah, he got a little hung up on that dark timeline thing…probably best not to encourage it."

"No, I don't feel like having to watch out for bone saws again."

"Oh, he'd never hurt you." Annie flushed slightly before asking her next question. "So, you think I'd look good in black leather, huh?"

Jeff smiled down at Annie, "I'm pretty sure you look good in most things. Speaking of…how do you feel about sexy red dresses?"

"Oooooh. I think this is something we'll have to explore at a later date."

By this point, they had arrived in the study room, and Jeff led them to the familiar study table they had spent so many hours around, and leaned back against it, maneuvering Annie with him, so they were both sitting against its edge, side-by-side. Annie figured it was just a quick rest before Jeff grabbed his keys and they left, but then he started talking…which Annie figured, shouldn't really be a surprise. It was Jeff. He talked.

"So, I've been thinking…"

"Mmmhmm?" Annie barely managed a mumble in response.

"You and me…do we even know what 'we' are, besides in love? I mean…we can't really call ourselves lovers, can we?" He paused for a moment, and then added in a quiet aside, not even directed at her; "At least, not yet, anyway."

Annie grinned up at him "I heard that, you know…I think that's called counting your chickens before they're hatched."

Jeff was incredulous. "Counting your chickens…hey, Ma Kent, the 1950's called, and you and your clever witticisms are due back on the farm."

Annie dug a finger into his side and giggled at his yelp. Jeff's only response was to tip her head up, and give her a fake glare, that turned into a long, smoldering look once Annie's laughter died off. Within moments, that look had turned into a passionate kiss.

When they broke, Annie pulled him close again. Even if they weren't kissing, she loved being able to hold him and be held. The new freedom was exhilarating. "Thank you so much for tonight, Jeff. Even with the bad spots…it all ended up good. I love you more than you can realize."

Jeff chuckled, "I dunno…I'm pretty lovable. And I know it." Annie rolled her eyes at this, even though he couldn't see her face. At least his ego was endearing…most of the time.

Jeff finally broke apart from her, and backed away. Annie noticed he fished down into his pocket, and pulled out something in his closed fist. Her heart started racing…Jeff had just been talking about figuring out how they defined themselves as a couple minutes ago. He couldn't be…

"Annie, look…I'm not entirely sure how to say this, but I want to talk about making things a little more official."

"Jeff…"

"No, Annie, just give me a second here, ok?"

Annie nodded, terrified that her fears were going to be justified. She loved Jeff, and she was happier than she could believe that he loved her back, and they were going to take a shot at things, but she knew she couldn't say 'yes' to him if he proposed. Not yet. She crossed her fingers, fully aware of the irony of a girl hoping to _not_ be proposed to by the man they loved.

"Well, Annie, through tonight, as we've covered several times…we went backwards through quite a few of the moments in our mutual past where things went wrong, over and over…and now we're back where it started. We started in the study room four years ago, and we started in the study room tonight. I had my graduation in the study room earlier today, and now, we're ending in the study room, and I like to think we've come full circle, but with some important differences along the way."

Annie crinkled her nose, "But Jeff, like you said…we went backwards. Wouldn't that make it a reverse circle? I mean, I know circles don't have directions or anything…but if we were on a circular track, there'd be a backwards and forwards…"

Jeff gave an appraising, but pained look. "Annie…I know it's in your nature, but do you realize what you've done by engaging in your _very_ Annie-like nitpicking?"

She felt only complete confusion. Jeff was still obviously ramping up to something. Annie shook her head. "No, what?"

"You've taken what was going to be an incredibly romantic moment," Jeff took a break to smirk at her, which still managed to make her feel weak-kneed. "And you Britta'd it."

"HEY!"

Jeff and Annie, both startled, turned towards the study room door, having heard the voice coming from somewhere outside of the room. They looked back towards each other, and then a double-take towards the door. As one, they spoke the single word that they were both thinking, even though they knew they had to be mistaken.

"Britta?!"

There was the sound of scuffling movement outside of the study room, and suddenly, the lights went out. As they were plunged into darkness, Annie instinctively grabbed onto Jeff, who readily reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pulling her in tight.

Their eyes adjusted slightly, and as they looked to the door, and where they saw the familiar, terrifying, man-scorpion-esque silhouette form they had seen earlier. Jeff felt Annie tense up in his arms, and then felt his own tension skyrocket as sparks appeared at its shoulders. He had no clue what was happening, or how to fix it…but he had a good feeling he wasn't going to be able to use his silver tongue in this case.

The sparks began to move towards them, but instead of heading straight at them, they split up to move around them. From this new perspective of not looking directly at them, Jeff was able to see that he, a grown man, had been scared stiff of sparklers, like children play with on the 4th of July. They were being carried around and around them by a pair running in opposite directions, who were hooting and shouting at them as well.

"Yeah, love!"

"Let's hear it for love!"

After mere seconds, and hearing their voices, Jeff was able to pick out the merry faces of Troy and Britta as their tormentors. He was completely baffled…how did either of them know that Jeff and Annie were here? Or that Jeff and Annie had, in fact, become Jeff and Annie…which Jeff was assuming they knew, from their catcalls.

Suddenly, the last piece clicked.

"Ok, that's enough!" Jeff shouted. He heard a grumbling voice from over near the door, "I told you hooligans that this would just scare them…damn homages. Hey, Andre! Hit the breaker!"

At Shirley's order, the lights came flooding back on, and the scene was suddenly much, much clearer to Jeff. He barked at the two still circling them like flies. "Hey, you two idiots, stop where you are, back up, and stay put!"

They did as he demanded, with Britta ending up sitting on the back of the couch, and Troy being able to rejoin the main group, which consisted of Shirley, Andre, who had just rejoined them, and a black suited…figure, that Jeff had realized was Abed.

Jeff took a good look at Abed…he was wearing a modified version of his Halloween costume from their second year, where he had been a xenomorph from Alien. Now, however, there was a harness, with a Steadicam mounted in the front, and a boom microphone mounted in the back. When Abed bent over to look in the viewfinder for a shot, it allowed the mic to swing forward, over his head. The whole getup, between helmet, boom, and hunching, made him look eerily inhuman.

Jeff shook his head, "I feel like I'm in a damn Scooby-Doo cartoon. It was the old man dressed as a ghost all along." He took a quick look down at Annie, who was still clinging to him, eyes wide in shock, focused on the knot of their friends, and stammering out fragments of sentences. "I…but…how?"

Abed took this time to speak for the first time. "They did it on Scrubs."

Jeff consciously tamped down his rising anger. They had been kept on the run, and half terrified because Abed wanted to do an homage…and film it, apparently. At this point, Andre chimed in. "I just love a good public display of affection, especially proposals!"

Jeff allowed, given Andre's past, that this was obviously accurate, but something was very wrong here. Before he could say anything, he heard Annie squeak out, barely loud enough for him to hear "Proposal?!"

"Nobody move an inch from where they are now!" Jeff thundered. He leaned down to be able to speak to Annie face to face, loosening himself from her grip. "Hey…stay right here, ok? I'm going to figure out exactly what the _hell_ is going on." Annie just nodded at him. He dodged in to give her a quick kiss, which was met with a collection of groans from the group. Annie was at least smiling as he pulled away though.

He turned to walk towards the main group at the door, when he heard Britta. "Hey, pointy-face! Over here."

As he turned to walk the opposite direction of his initial impulse, he heard Annie ask "Wait…where's Pierce?"

Troy was the one who chimed in with the answer. "Yeah…let's just say that we hope Fat Neil is having a good time with Vicki, because she is going to be ANGRY in the morning, and knowing women, she's probably going to make him pay for it."

Troy ignored the dirty looks Britta and Shirley shot him at his remark about 'knowing women,' and went on. "When the second half of the group arrived an half an hour or so ago, they parked in the lot you guys didn't. Well…Vicki's car is there too. We're guessing she just went home with Neil to get freaky or something. Anyway, as soon as Pierce saw it, he said he was going to 'go do stuff' to it, and he'd catch up. We haven't seen him since."

Jeff just shook his head, and Annie, predictably, let out a shocked huff, following it up with a "That's terrible!"

Jeff just turned to Britta, "Ok, what is it, sourface?"

Britta sneered right back. "So, popping the big question, huh? Finally decided to put on your big boy pants and stop hiding your feelings?"

"Well, Britta, I guess that depends on what you mean by 'the big question.'" Jeff delivered his rejoinder with a completely stoic expression.

Confusion clouded over Britta's face. "Wait…Abed told all of us that you were declaring your love for Annie tonight, and then proposing…" Jeff could only cover his face with his hand, and shake his head before he responded, "Well…he was half right, I guess. That's going to hurt his averages though. There goes his reputation for being all-seeing."

Britta's stunned smile spread across her face, "Wait…you told Annie you loved her?! You sly dog! What did she say? What did she say?"

Jeff's face twisted into a grimace, "Yes I did, and actually, she told me she loved me first."

Britta's playful swat at his arms made him dodge backwards. "Of course she did. You are one lucky cradle-robber, you know that? So…if you aren't proposing, why are you guys still here?"

"Ok…first of all," Jeff said, pointing behind himself in the general direction of Troy, "You have _zero_ room to talk about cradle-robbing. And secondly, she's easily one of the most grown up out of all of us. I mean, have you MET the rest of us?!"

Britta just rolled her eyes at him, but between the half-hearted manner in which she was firing her verbal barbs at him, and the glee he had seen on her face as she ran around Annie and himself with sparklers, recreating a scene from Scrubs at Abed's behest, Jeff was guessing Britta wasn't maintaining her old opposition to Jeff and Annie getting together. Jeff also suspected she still hurt a little from Troy's breakup with her, and he hoped that seeing two of her closest friends becoming something more to each other would help buoy her spirits a little. Jeff realized he would have to be eternally grateful to Britta for her indirect part in making it possible for him and Annie to find each other.

With a tight smile down at the blond, Jeff pulled her in for a hug. "You have to take good care of her, you know? You may be the so-called leader and all that, but she's the favorite." Jeff could only chuckle in response, "Honestly, I think we both know she'll be taking care of me as much as I will be her…"

It was then when Jeff heard Abed call from behind him. "Jeff! I'm a little worried that some of the darker scenes might not turn out…how do you feel about reshooting using 'day-for-night' techniques?" Jeff squinted his eyes shut as if pained, and released Britta. "You'd better go talk to him. Send your girlfriend over. I'll keep her from feeling all left out." Jeff nodded, and headed over to the larger group, stopping by Annie on the way. "Hey, why don't you go hang out with Britta for a few? Things seem to be…interesting. I'm trying to sort them out." Annie smiled and nodded at him, but before she let him move on, pulled him down for a kiss on the cheek and a whispered "I love you" in his ear.

Jeff could feel himself blushing and a strange, pleasant sensation in his stomach, like electricity. He approached the group of his friends, and immediately Andre pulled him in for a handshake, and congratulations. Jeff braced himself. "Ok…Britta told me. You guys should know, I'm not proposing to Annie tonight."

Sure enough, here it came. Predictably, Shirley was first. "Say what?!" her voice seemed especially shrill tonight. Jeff made a slicing motion with both of his hands, and steadied himself, but it didn't work, due to Abed stealing the initiative from him. "Jeff…everything pointed towards a proposal from you tonight. You got Annie down here the night after you graduated, just her and you, and took her all over campus, and tried to redeem yourself for the times you felt you hadn't done something right in your past together. It was cool…I almost felt like I was watching Quantum Leap, but with less of a body-swap gimmick."

Jeff boggled at him, "Abed…exactly how long have you been following us?" As always, Abed maintained his composure and stoic look as he answered Jeff. "We got here about 10 minutes after Annie did." He pointed over at Troy, who Jeff just now noticed was wearing a black jumpsuit similar to Abed's, but with the harness and helmet removed. "Troy handled the outdoor shots, and I did indoor shooting, and we'll use security camera footage where we need to. Of course, your choice of using the hallway at times made it difficult to get a good shot without you noticing me…as you noticed."

"Abed, how many rooms have security cameras, and how do you know about all of them?" Jeff was feeling oddly violated, and wondered exactly when the cameras had been installed. Abed's answer didn't make him feel better.

"If it has a door, it has a camera. Freshman year, I managed to convince the dean that the then-current compliment of security cameras wasn't adequate, and that more needed to be installed. I also got him to wire them for sound…and give me access to the control system."

"Why?" Jeff practically shouted, exasperated.

"I figured I could probably find some interesting footage to do a piece on. Never did…until now. I figured two of my closest friends dancing around each other for years before deciding to commit to each other on the graduation day of one of them would be a winner." Abed's voice took on a definite tone of wheedling "I've got the release forms for you to sign with me…" but when Jeff turned on him with his darkest glare, Abed backed off, "we'll talk about it later. Just give it some thought. By the way, I picked these up in the hall when you guys were running from me." Holding out his hand, he offered what Jeff recognized as Annie's keys to him. Suddenly, Jeff realized what had hit him in the leg when he had scooped Annie up to 'rescue' her.

"Actually, would you mind hanging onto them? And maybe…dropping Annie's car off at my place? I was going to give her a ride, and this way, I still can, and she'll have her car when she wants to leave."

Abed considered it for a minute, and offered a bargain. "Sure…but only if you sign the forms and do a couple of re-shoots."

Jeff glared. "Fine, but Annie and I both get production credits on it, and final sign-off on the finished product."

"Done." Abed passed Annie's keys back to Troy, who was grinning, Jeff thought, like an idiot.

Shirley decided she'd been ignored long enough. "Ok, that's enough about from Spielberg about his little movie here. Jeffrey, if you aren't proposing…what are you doing with that girl? Abed filled us in about what you've done already…and we saw you pull something out of your pocket, so what on God's green earth is going on?"

"You know what…I'm not getting into it with you guys. I've had a very, very long night, after having a long day, and yes, I got myself into this, but I certainly didn't ask for this to be a group outing. Now, I'll tell you that yes, Annie and I are now together, and no, you can't convince me that it's the wrong thing to do. And no, I'm not proposing to her, not now, maybe not ever. Maybe I will…maybe I'll do it next Thursday! But frankly, that's between Annie and me, and you will all find out afterwards, not before and not during unless I suddenly get very prone to public displays of affection, or you all follow me around again like crazed stalkers!"

Jeff paused for a minute to take a breath, but totally missed Abed and Troy whispering to each other.

"Awesome…Winger speech to give heightened dramatic tension and ultimately, assist in the denouement."

"You still filming?"

In response, Abed gave a low-key nod to the security camera that covered the study room. "Besides producing what I think may end up being a film with awards potential, tonight's developments have other significant advantages."

Troy looked at his friend in confusion. "Like what? Jeff gets to bang another hottie? Potentially in our apartment where we'd have to listen? Yeah, Abed…that'll be awesome."

Abed shook his head, "No, Annie won't be living with us much longer anyway. She and Jeff'll move in together pretty quick. I give it a month, month and a half at the outside. No…with the two of them together, this ensures that we'll never lose Jeff. We probably wouldn't anyway, but we would always run the risk that his old life and morals would take him over again. Annie won't ever let him abandon the group though. This gives us increased cohesiveness."

"Ok…the Jeff part is pretty cool, and it'll be nice that these two can stop being stuck eternally flirting…and Annie'll be happy she's finally got her guy, but we're losing her? Dude, that sucks."

"Yeah, but we all have to move forward with our lives at some point. Besides, with her room freed up, you know what that enables us to do?"

Troy's curiosity was piqued. "What?"

"A return of a full-sized Dreamatorium." Abed, already whispering, filled his voice with hushed excitement. Troy, on the other hand, seemed skeptical. "I dunno man…I kinda thought we were mostly past that." Abed just gave him a deep, searching look, and Troy quickly caved. "Ok, we can give it some thought…"

Grinning, the duo did their handshake.

In the meantime, Shirley was saying her piece to Jeff after recovering from the shock of his speech to the group. "Jeffrey…I understand you don't want to be told what to do, but I need to make one thing very, very clear to you." Shirley allowed her voice to get dark and intimidating, "If you ever hurt that girl, so help me, I will find you, and I will snap you in half. You got me?" Jeff allowed a grin to grow on his face, "Shirley…I'm going to do my best to avoid it, but I guarantee, just knowing myself; that I'm going to make Annie cry at least once in our relationship…probably multiple times. Just know that I'm going to be trying to be a better man for her."

With that, Shirley pulled Jeff in for a hug. "I know you will, sweetie. You'll make her happy…but when you upset her, just better watch yourself." Jeff just nodded, and kept silent as Andre put in his final piece of advice. "You just remember, like I told you when you were plastered, and nearly married Britta…it's a lot of hard work. Get yourself ready for that now." Jeff gave a simple thanks, and offered Andre his hand, who took it, and pulled him in for a backslapping hug…but quietly included some more whispered advice. "When you two get in a fight, call me, we'll go for a beer and vent some steam together. You've got my number."

Jeff smiled, knowing that even if they talked tough to him, his friends loved him, and loved Annie, and had both of their backs. Him and Annie getting together wasn't just about the two of them loving each other, but helped form a more stable core that the study group could continue to revolve around, even after they all graduated, especially if they started moving away.

"Hey, guys…I know I was pretty upset, but I was pretty surprised too, and I'm not going to pretend that I wouldn't have preferred to have tonight alone, but…thanks for caring. Now…do you think Annie and I could have a little time? We'll see you all soon, I promise."

The rest of the group demurred, and began to leave. Troy called out across the room, "C'mon Britta! Let's leave the lovebirds to their…bird stuff."

While Jeff was confronting the group, however, Britta and Annie were having a bit of a heart to heart. Annie approached Britta's spot at the couches with a little trepidation, remembering the last time she had started a relationship with someone who had been an interest to Britta in the past. The older woman comforted her with a smile though, and Annie felt less nervous, but still allowed Britta to take the reins to start.

"So, finally landed the big one, huh?" Annie couldn't read the tone in Britta's voice…friendly, but with an undercurrent she just couldn't identify.

"Yeah…are you, y'know, ok with this?" Annie asked with some timidity.

Britta's demeanor immediately changed, Annie's question must have struck some sort of nerve within her, and she brightened up considerably. "Annie, of course I am. I'm happy for you. If anyone deserves to find someone that makes them happy, it's you…and if anyone can keep that jag in line, it's you."

Annie couldn't hold it in anymore. "Ohhhh, Brit-ttaaaa!" She practically yanked the blond into her arms for a hug. When they broke the hug, however, Britta noticed a new look of terror had surfaced on Annie's face. "Britta…I'm scared about what Abed said. Jeff's said some things that implied Abed was right before you guys got here. I'm not ready to get married! I mean…obviously I want to someday, but I want to actually date the guy first, y'know, and then there's all sorts of other factors to consider, and-"

Britta patted Annie's arm to get her attention. "Annie, power down…I should probably have let him tell you this himself, but you don't need to worry, Jeff isn't proposing tonight."

"He's not?"

"No…looks like Abed misread something in his tea leaves or whatever."

"Huh…that'll hurt his averages. Maybe he needs to recalibrate the Dreamatorium."

Britta wasn't sure which she found stranger, the fact that both Jeff and Annie expressed a concern for Abed's averages when it came to predictions, or the fact that Annie seemed to condone the use of Abed's imagination enabler. Either way…it was a comforting sign that maybe their most studious friend wasn't as 'normal' as everyone else seemed to think, when held up next to the rest of the group. She really did belong with them.

Just then, they heard Troy call out "C'mon Britta! Let's leave the lovebirds to their…bird stuff."

Annie and Britta exchanged a look as Annie mouthed "bird stuff?" to Britta. Britta just shook her head, and hugged Annie again, quietly telling her "Hey…you take good care of him too, but if he ever puts a toe out of line, we're going to be there to beat his head in, got it?"

Annie nodded at Britta as she headed towards the door, swinging a punch at Jeff as she passed him, making him wince and hold his upper arm. Jeff walked back to Annie, grateful to get to be alone with her again. "So…yeah, our friends are super awesome, huh?"

"Don't be sarcastic, Jeff. They were just trying to be sweet."

"Ok, but I need to make sure you understand, and please don't be pissed…I'm not proposing to you tonight."

Annie grinned at Jeff, he looked so worried that she was going to be upset that he wasn't asking her to marry him before they'd even had a real first date as a couple. "No, dummy…I'm not mad. I'm relieved. It's too soon."

Jeff let out a massive breath of air. "Oh, thank God! You have no idea what kind of pressure I'd been feeling there…I mean, I just got you, and I don't want to lose you already, but I really, really don't want to get engaged yet. I mean…I want us to be official and together, but I don't want it to be legally binding!"

Annie chuckled at how much Jeff was visibly relaxing since she'd told him she wasn't ready for marriage, but decided to take a jab at something he'd said, since she was getting a bit of a suspicion about some of his behavior earlier in the evening. "So…official, huh? Like, girlfriend and boyfriend?"

Jeff immediately stiffened. Annie had found the issue. "Ugh…I hate those terms. Way too high school." Annie scoffed, and open-hand slapped Jeff right where Britta had punched him, eliciting a yelp. "So, is that why you've been trying new nicknames for me all night?"

"Well…I mean, I thought that just maybe jumping straight into girlfriend and boyfriend might be too fast for you, plus I really hate saying them, so I figured if I found something…" Jeff trailed off weakly.

"What? You figured you'd introduce me as 'Annie, your princess,' or 'this is my sweetness, Annie?,' because those don't sound the least bit creepy, do they, Jeff? And after four years…no, Jeff…we can jump straight into the titles."

He rolled his eyes at her, "Fine…yes, I want you to be my…*sigh* girlfriend. Is that ok with you?"

Smiling at getting her way, she wrapped her arms around his neck, to pull him in for a kiss. "For the record, I like it when you call me your lady."

As their mouths neared each other, he whispered "Milady."

Just before their lips touched, she responded with her own whisper. "Milord."

A fraction of a second after they began their kiss, they both broke apart chuckling. Annie was the first to recover. "Are you laughing for the same reason I'm laughing?"

"I think so…is it because those, while adorable, are also really damn cheesy?" Annie just nodded in agreement.

"Fine then…you're my girlfriend, and we'll save the milady stuff for…occasions where incredible corniness is appropriate. Otherwise, how about we're just 'Jeff and Annie?' We'll emphasize the 'and' if we have to."

Annie smiled up at him. "I like that. Now…I think we were in the middle of something?"

Jeff looked confused for a moment, then comprehension dawned. "Oh, right…"

Annie couldn't tell if he was just playing, or if he had really forgotten about kissing her, but she didn't have to worry about it for long, as Jeff moved in to kiss her as passionately as she'd experienced thus far. He broke it off before long, however, looking deeply into her eyes, and using the thumb of the hand he was cupping her face with to stroke her cheek. Annie whispered out again, "Jeff, I really do love you."

Jeff's eyes softened, and he returned her whisper. "I love you too…just, I'm still new at all this, so if I'm not as good at saying it yet-"

"Totally understood."

"Thanks. Why don't we get going? We've spent more than enough time here. Let's go spend some time being 'us' in a place that isn't Greendale?"

Annie smiled at her boyfriend as he went over to flick off the lights. "Ok…but you have to always remember that Greendale got us together, so don't be so mean to it."

Jeff just grimaced at the idea of having to reduce the snarkiness he directed to his new alma mater, and reached down to entwine his fingers with Annie's, and as a pair, they left the room.

FIN.

_"love is the ability to face the world together; hand in hand, side by side."  
-_**Antoine de Saint-Exupéry**

* * *

A/N: Ok...story's done. That's all there is.

Well, yes...I'm still going to add an epilogue, and I consider it canon for this little story, but really, this is the end of the main story, and the epilogue is an end tag. It's still going to tie up a few last loose ends, and it'll be cute...but it's mostly fun, goofy stuff. Feel free to read it, or consider this the end. This was written so it could be an ending if something horrible happens to me before I get the epilogue up.

Ok...I went off the rails a little bit with some characterization in this chapter. I apologize. It was in service of the story, and I really, really tried to minimize it. For the record, I really do think Jeff and Andre would be pals. I just suspect Mr. Warner is busy/expensive. Off camera, Jeff and Andre hit the bars all the time. I'm sticking to that idea.

I've started my "Lessons Learned" (hashtag: #lessonslearned) series of posts on my tumblr (daneblr) if anyone wants to see what I'm going to try to do better if I should ever write fic again. This way, you can call me out when I fail miserably. Of course, as always, if you have questions about anything at all, like this story, Community, my life, cellular mitosis...hit me up there. I love talking. Just try to get me to stop...

The quote at the end is only a partial quote...and I don't even think it's the one I wanted to use. I vaguely remembered someone's senior quote from my old high school yearbooks...but I can't find them. Wife must have stashed them somewhere deep in storage. Anyway, this one seemed close, but here's the full text for reference. "Love does not consist of each of us admiring the other. Yes, it starts from there, but afterwards (if it is to continue being called love), we must both look outwards, together, and in the same direction. For love is the ability to face the world together; hand in hand, side by side. Falsely yours, **Antoine de Saint-Exupéry**"

So, while I'll probably repeat a lot of this at the end of the epilogue, for those who don't continue, let me just thank you for sticking with this for so long, and for your feedback, your encouragement, and your criticism. It is deeply, deeply appreciated. I'm grateful to Dan Harmon and the rest of the writing, editing and production staff of Community for their part in creating these characters, and to the actors, especially Joel McHale and Alison Brie, for giving us what I consider one of the best romances on TV that I've ever seen...even if it wasn't supposed to happen this way.

Again, thank you all.


	14. Epilogue

Pairing: Jeff/Annie  
Spoilers: Through the finale of Season 4, Jeff's graduation, and dinner with the group  
Word Count: 3704  
Rating: PG-13 (language)  
Disclaimer: If I owned Community, you'd all probably absolutely hate it.  
Author's Notes: I take liberties with character's motivations and thoughts...but that's kind of the name of the game if you're going to write fan fiction. I try as hard as I can to stay within the limits of the developed character though.

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**The Next Morning: Jeff's Apartment**

Around 9:00 am, it's completely silent in the living room of Jeff Winger's apartment. The room is entirely empty except for the small cat snoozing contentedly in a ray of morning sunshine landing on the couch.

The door to Jeff's bedroom opens, and the cat perks up, knowing that usually this signals his morning feeding. He jumps down from his spot on the couch and trots over to the door to greet his owner. When the person who steps out isn't Jeff like he's expecting, he is hesitant, but gives the newcomer a tentative sniff, as if to identify and then rubs across the human's ankles.

Annie isn't sure if the cat is trying to claim her as his property, or to get on her good side so she'll feed him. His sibling back at her apartment is so passive compared to the littermate that Jeff ended up with. She quietly shoos him out of the way so she can close the door. Jeff is still asleep after the day's, and night's adventures…and the after adventures, as Annie recalls the activities once they got back to Jeff's apartment with a grin.

Annie knows by rights she should still be asleep too, but years of strict scheduling to accommodate early classes, and intense studying have trained her body to avoid sleeping in, even when it's an option.

She heads towards the kitchen to get coffee brewing, clad only in socks and Jeff's shirt from the night before, which is practically a dress on her. Since soon after she met Abed, she started assembling her own list of 'essential romantic experiences.' Wearing the man's shirt, and only the man's shirt after a wild night together can now be scratched off the list. She stops to think about that, considering that she's wearing socks as well…and decides that socks are allowed, even though it means she isn't strictly wearing _only_ the shirt. After a moment of deliberation, she peels the socks off…for safety.

Suddenly, Annie hears a knock on the door. She's so surprised by this that she goes to answer it, forgetting that, first of all, this isn't even her apartment, and second, except for an admittedly large shirt, she's completely naked. Jeff's cat trots alongside her to the door. Annie isn't sure if he's just curious, or hopeful that maybe whoever is at the door won't forget to feed him like she has.

She opens the door to see Dean Craig Pelton standing outside the door. Like she's noticed is typical with him, he is looking down prior to engaging in conversation. It's one of the stranger character traits she's noticed about him…he almost always walks into the study room with his head bowed, and brings it up dramatically as he launches into whatever spiel he's pitching that day.

This perspective means that he first locks his eyes on the cat. So when he starts speaking, she isn't sure if he's speaking to the feline, or the person he expects is answering the door.

"Good morning, Jeffrey!"

"He renamed the cat…said he refused to own a pet that he shared a name with."

With this, the Dean of Greendale looked up in shock. "Annie?"

Annie didn't respond, but just stood there, allowing her presence be the answer to his question.

"What are you doing here?" he said with a note of unbelief.

Annie realized that she might be coming across as slightly grumpy, but mentally blamed it on not getting coffee yet when she answered, "Making coffee, and I really need to feed Gizmo."

"Did you spend the night with Jeffrey? Oh my God…is that his shirt? Let me try it on!"

Annie clutches the shirt tightly, suddenly aware of her exposure under it, and blushes. "No, Dean…I don't think Jeff would be too thrilled about that." She's pretty confident her explanation is accurate, but she also doesn't feel the need to give too much detail about her own currently dire need to keep the shirt on.

"So…you and Jeffrey, huh?" Pelton gives her an appraising look. When he does this, Annie has to remind herself how much she's loved the Dean in the past…she feels almost violated, and gives him a weak grin. She knows he doesn't mean any harm…he's just a little out there, and doesn't understand what kind of effect he has on people when he starts leering.

"So, with Jeff graduating, someone's going to have to take his number two spot on the list of attractive students and faculty," the Dean says, taking a slurp of the soda he's already carrying…for a moment, Annie's mind wanders, curious as to whether he'd had the cup at home and filled it up, or if he'd already been out and running errands this morning. "I think I know who's going to be shortlisted for his place."

Annie's confusion is interrupted by another voice joining the conversation.

"Craig…if Annie taking my spot on that stupid list means you're going to grope and fondle my girlfriend every time you leave the study room like you did with me, I should warn you now that you'll end up decked and sued. I'll sue, she'll hit…and she hits hard."

Annie and Craig Pelton both focus on Jeff, stepping out of the bedroom, with Annie turning her head to see him. He's pulling on a fresh shirt, which means bare-chested Jeff gets 100% of the attention until he's done buttoning, which he completely fails to notice, while he grabs his wallet and keys from the counter, pulling a folded piece of paper out of a pocket, and dropping it in their place with a light clank.

"Oh, Jeff…you know I'd never do anything inappropriate with Annie like that! But you can't deny she's definitely worthy of the list, especially if she's dating you…that's just confirmation!"

Jeff approaches the door, and shakes his head. "I can't even believe you're still maintaining that stupid list…and isn't it to keep track of the attractive students and faculty just so you know who to watch out for potentially inappropriate situations?"

The Dean nodded. "It is."

"Well, I have a pretty good idea that the only inappropriate situations Annie will be getting into, will be with me." Jeff growled.

Annie blushed at the forward manner Jeff was already referring to their new coupledom with outsiders in. By now, he had finished buckling on his watch, and started stepping past her at the door, but leaned down to kiss her. She grabbed his shirt, the one he was wearing, not her own borrowed outfit…right in the center, where the two halves had been buttoned, and fisted it tightly as they kissed.

When they broke, Jeff looked down at her attire. "Is that my shirt?"

Annie nodded, suddenly slightly nervous, knowing how Jeff was about his clothes. "Yeah…is that a problem?" she said, with a note of nervousness in her voice.

Jeff shook his head, "No…it's just, I mean…it looks better on you. And I make that shirt look amazing!"

Annie smiled and pulled him down for another deep kiss, which kept going until they heard a low chuckle. They opened their eyes without breaking apart to see the disturbing image of Dean Pelton about six inches away from their faces, staring intently at them with a big smile on his face. They slowly backed away from each other, as one would a cobra about to strike.

"Oooh! Me next?" Pelton's excited outburst made horror slide onto both Jeff and Annie's faces.

Jeff made a sound of disgust and slid past Annie into the hallway. "Let's get this over with, Craig."

"Wait! You're leaving?" Annie was confused, and not in the least bit happy that Jeff was abandoning her already, this soon into their relationship…when he saw her face, he came back in close, and reached out to hold her by the upper arms, with his hands lightly caressing them up and down.

"I'm sorry, Annie…I should have told you earlier, but I didn't want to risk ruining everything. Though, in all fairness, I did mention last night that I was going to be paying for it today."

"I'm confused…paying how? For what? I figured you meant you were going to be tired."

"Well, yeah, that too, but I have to-"

Now, jubilant, and unable to contain himself anymore, the Dean burst in "He's having a day at the mall with Craig…err, me!"

Jeff turned and shot a deadly glare at the smaller man. "Half day. That was the deal. You give me the keys to campus, and you get half a day at the mall with me."

Pelton simpered. "Well, technically…but don't you think you'll be having too much fun to not just stay the whole time?" In response, Jeff looked pointedly back and forth between his to-be-tormentor, and his girlfriend several times.

"Nope."

While the Dean made sounds of offense, Jeff turned to Annie. "I'm really sorry…I'll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself totally at home, and if you want to take off, your keys are on the counter, ok?" Annie nodded at him. "I wish you'd told me before…but I get it. Love you."

Jeff swooped down for a kiss, and followed it with a whispered, "Love you too. Text you as soon as I'm free?"

"You'd better."

With that, Jeff tossed Annie a wink, and stalked off down the halls towards his building's elevator.

"C'mon, terrible Dean!" he shouted back at the door, without even turning around.

Pelton seemed to not hear Jeff, still intent on talking to Annie. He reached out to finger the cuff of a sleeve of Annie's/Jeff's shirt, and the look on his face as he rubbed the fabric made Annie wonder if this was a near-religious experience for him.

"So, Annie. We need to have a talk later…I want to know absolutely everything!" The glee in his voice made Annie wonder if she should laugh, or cringe. "You are just so lucky…" as he trailed off, taking another sip on his straw, Annie realized that this man was the highest authority she currently had in higher education…and she was having this discussion with him. It was nearly enough to strain credulity.

They both heard a voice from down the hall. "You get me until 4:00! If you stay there talking to Annie until 3:59, the clock doesn't get pushed back or anything!"

"Oops! Gotta go!" Dean Pelton released her sleeve, but prior to scampering off after Jeff, he had one final piece of advice for Annie "If you don't already follow me on Twitter…you probably should. Your roommates…well, your other roommates have my Twitter information." Then, as he took off down the hall, "I'm coming, Jeffrey! Hold your horses!"

Annie shut the door behind her, leaning heavily against it, completely bewildered by the recent events. She slid down the back of the door to sit on the floor, and started laughing, deep from her belly. After everything that had happened recently…this was just the topper to the cake. She realized that as happy as her life may become, as evidenced by her and Jeff getting together…it would always have a strong element of absurdity to it.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

She sat there for a minute just smiling, and thinking about the rest of the day, the future, and the past, when she realized that there was a small feline pawing at her.

"Crap…Gizmo. C'mon, let's get you some breakfast…and me some coffee."

Annie stood, and walked to the kitchen, and poured some kibble for the cat, who began eating like he hadn't been fed in a week. She stood and poured herself a mug of coffee, and zoned out briefly while she willed her brain to wake up fully just from the smell rising from the beverage in her mug.

When her eyes refocused, she saw her keys sitting on the counter, right next to a folded piece of paper with her name on it. Curious, she reached out for it, and opened it up. A smaller, yellow piece of paper fell out, and clanked on the floor. Ignoring it for the time being, Annie read what was written on the inside of what she had now realized was a note to her. It looked like Jeff had torn it out of his journal that he had shown her the night before.

Annie,

I'm going to keep this short, because I'm still bad at being all open and expressive. I'm using my  
journal; because it's the place I have the most experience at being honest.

I want you to know how much last night meant to me, because I don't know when I'll be able to  
actually say it out loud, and have it convey everything I want it to. You know I love you, and I'm  
thankful that you were patient enough with me for me to be honest with myself and with you.

I'm sure by now, you've seen what I've wrapped up in here…it's to the apartment, obviously, but  
you can give it all sorts of metaphorical significance that's far too…emotional for me to actually say  
it myself…like it goes to my heart or something. Do you have any idea how painful it was just to  
write that as an example to you? So…whatever you decide it signifies…I'll smile and nod. I wanted  
to give this to you last night, but things didn't work out. I've actually thought about giving it to you  
several times before that, but the timing was just never right, so now I'm just making it happen.

Make yourself at home here…and I mean it. You're welcome here anytime, day or night. I want you  
here. You drive me absolutely crazy sometimes, but I don't know what I'd do without you.

I love you,

Jeff.

PS. I'm assuming you're reading this after I'm gone…sorry I ditched you, but it was the only way I could  
get the keys to Greendale. Considering how everything went…hopefully you'll think it was worth it.

With that, Annie bent over and picked up the piece of paper that had dropped out onto the floor. Even though she already thought she knew what it was, she was still surprised when a silver key with purple plastic embedded at the top presented itself. Annie realized it was wrapped up in its own receipt, and out of curiosity, she checked the date of sale to see if it would give her any clue as to how long Jeff may have planned this. What she saw actually made her feel like she should stagger backwards.

If Annie was counting correctly, which she was fairly certain she was, Jeff bought this key shortly after their encounter at the end of their freshman year. Given the purple plastic…she was fairly certain he hadn't gotten it for anyone else. Britta certainly wasn't big into purple. Annie wondered about Jeff's note…when else had he felt like he might want to give her this?

Regardless…Jeff had obviously known what he was doing. Any lingering doubts Annie may have had about their status had vanished as soon as she saw how much he was inviting her into his life. She figured she may just hang around his apartment until he got home, to thank him in person.

Then she spied the curtains she'd hung up for their Christmas party. He hadn't taken them down, as much as he'd complained. 4:00 was a long way off…maybe she'd just go get a couple of things to show Jeff how much she appreciated his welcoming her into his home.

Y'know…just make the place a little more 'Annie.'

Annie smiled to herself as she sipped her coffee, and contemplated a happy future with Jeff.

End.

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A/N: Ok…here's where I fear characterization may have really gone off the rails, but I have to be honest, as I wrote it, I found myself saying "Y'know, I could see these characters reacting like this." Maybe I was just trying to salve my delicate little ego, or maybe it's the fact that these characters are so much fun to write in part due to the fact that they ARE so complete and three-dimensional in so many ways, that like a real person…their behaviors are semi-predictable, semi-chaotic, and they are also very prone to personal growth and progress.

If anything, I think Jeff may have been a little too open and welcoming, and a little less reserved a little too quickly. Unfortunately, canon has too many examples in it that support both sides of that idea…which leads me to my "semi-chaotic" statement above.

The Dean…I loved playing with. I liked the idea of writing him creepy…but not overly so. I don't subscribe to the school of thought that has him getting super jealous over the idea of Jeff being with anyone else…he's got a weird thing for Jeff, but he isn't going to get crazy levels of catty if he starts dating someone, especially someone else from the study group that he so loves…like Annie.

As I've mentioned many times…I've had this planned out from the beginning. I've actually had a vague outline for the whole story planned out, but this particular part has been mentally nearly written the whole time. It's a bit of a crutch to bust out some of the big reveals right at the end (where did Jeff get the keys to the school, etc) but this way, at least you know it was always supposed to be this way…I didn't get to the end and say "Crap, I've still got to figure out how to explain plot points, B,C, and D…better break out the deus ex machina and asspulls!" No…with the Dean living so close to Jeff, I figured that in a hurry, he could knock on the door, and make a quick (later regrettable) deal to borrow the keys, and then show the costs later on…and hopefully get a laugh out of it.

This was my first fan fiction…Jeff and Annie are the first (and really only) fanfic I've ever written or really read, and all signs point to things staying that way. I don't know if I'll write anymore, but I do know that I have thoroughly loved writing this, and now that it is completed, I may feel the burn to start something anew. If I do, rest assured, it will be Jeff and Annie. I don't know if it'll be one-shots, or a sequel to this, or a completely new long-ass monstrosity, but, should I write again, it'll always be J/A (and spoiler alert…if I'm writing it, you can be assured that there's about a 98% likelihood that they'll be endgame. I MAY someday, write something super angsty where things just don't work out…but it's unlikely.)

Special acknowledgements: I need to say…just last night I was re-reading some stories on , and read Hypnotoad76's excellent _Five No's and One Yes_. I realized that I had almost forgotten that there was a remarkably similar scene in there as exists in this epilogue. For what it's worth…I promise you I wasn't ripping you off. It's just that a key is one of those iconic "romantic" gifts…and purple = Annie. I read all your stuff and love it.

Special credit for the name of Jeff's cat goes to xtiltawhirlx over on LJ, who wrote an incredibly cute ficlet from the perspective of the cat…but gave it the name of Gremlin. When I commented that it was the perfect name, and that I wished I had thought of it, since I was working the cat into my story (I had the door scene where Annie, and the cat greet the dean conceptualized from the start, and knew that the cat's name was originally one of the two named Jeffrey, and Jeff wouldn't stand for that…) and was given the suggestion of Gizmo…which seemed even MORE perfect. I don't believe they post over here at all, but her LJ has some fantastic stories worth checking out.

Great thanks goes to my friend robert3A-SN, who reads everything I write, here, or tumblr, and is always encouraging me, and giving excellent feedback, as well as providing inspiring fiction of his own to help spur me along. I wouldn't be half as able to write fan fic if I hadn't had other people paving the way and showing me exactly what fan fiction could do to fill the gaps the show leaves.

Similarly, nyclove3 from here and LJ has written some of my favorite stories…(though she still needs to finish ALIWH!) and was one of my earliest contacts in the fandom, and was willing to listen to me go on and on about my thoughts on Jeff and Annie that she had heard a billion times before, seeing as I was entering fandom in the late 4th season. Additionally, kreod/meeklark/purpleprinciple/dude, how many internet identities do you have? was one of my first J/A friends on reddit, which was where I first entered the fandom.

To everyone else who has read my story, I offer you similar appreciation. I wrote this story because I wanted to get it out of my head, and into a written form…but seeing the traffic stats, as well as seeing the reviews from those who have left it made it all worth it. Both praise and constructive criticism have been hugely appreciated.

Of course, I need to mention one last time my extreme thanks for Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, and Alison Brie, along with the rest of the cast and crew of Community for creating a world that I wanted to play in, and characters sympathetic and believable enough that I wanted to get in their heads.

And of course, to my wife…who, unbeknownst to her, helped fill in many of the blanks for Annie, in the spots where the show didn't offer enough data for me to feel like I could reliably draw on it for a reaction in a given situation.

As always, you can contact me on here, or Tumblr about…anything at all. I love to interact with people.

There…now I'm really done. I get to mark my first fan fiction as "Complete."


End file.
